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Peter was absolutely bored. He was at some kind of social event that Tony had dragged him to. Well, alright, Peter had been eager enough to come himself, but that was before he found out that they weren't going as a couple, at least not to the public's knowledge. Peter knew it made sense, because no one knew about them, and both he and Tony had decided it was for the best for then (considering Peter was still technically Tony's intern and that Stark Industries had given him the scholarship that was putting him through MIT at the moment), but it still sucked. He hated having to watch Tony being social with everyone, while he himself was stuck on the sidelines.
"You look a little young to be here by yourself," a voice said.
Peter looked next to him and saw a man with greying hair and glasses standing nearby. The way the man was grinning at him made Peter's skin crawl, and definitely not in a good way.
"T-Mr. Stark invited me," Peter told the man, hoping he would get the point across that he was an important guest.
The man looked around for a second, before turning back to Peter, his grin even sharper. "Well, it doesn't seem like Mr. Stark is paying any attention to you right now." The way the man had sneered when he said 'mister' really made Peter's Spidey Senses go insane.
"I m-mean," Peter stammered, "Mr. Stark is busy, and I understand. H-he can't stay by his intern all night, can he?"
The man's eyes lit up at that. "Right, you're Stark's intern, I remember hearing about that." He went quiet for a few moments, and Peter's brain went into overdrive, trying to figure out what was the best excuse for him to use to get out of this situation.
"Still," the man murmured, low enough that Peter wasn't sure if he was meant to hear it. The next part was louder, however, as the man said, "It's a shame that such a pretty thing as yourself should be alone, is it not? Allow a worried man to keep you occupied for a little bit? Can't be too careful with men at these kind of things, creeps the lot of them."
Yeah, Peter thought to himself. I'm looking at one of these said creeps.
"Would you like a drink, what's your name? Isn't it something like Percy Parker, or something?"
"P-Peter, actually," Peter responded, while wishing he would stop stammering. He quickly looked around the room, trying to find Tony, but the man was nowhere to be seen, causing a small panic to rise in Peter's chest. His heartbeat was beating rather erratically, and he was regretting coming to this event more every moment that passed by.
"Well, Peter, what would you like to drink? I've heard the bartender makes wonderful martinis." The added wink made Peter just want to throw up.
"Ahh, Pete, there you are." Suddenly, Tony had arrived out of nowhere, and was by Peter's side. The older man threw his arm around Peter's shoulder, and brought the younger man closer to him.
"Stark," the man greeted, a cool tone to his voice, his grey eyes steely.
"Hammer," Tony responded, his voice matching the other man's. "Didn't realize that they invited trash to these events these days."
"Isn't it Stark Industries who organized this event?" the other man, Hammer, questioned.
Tony merely shrugged. "Doubt it matters much. The funds all go to charity, does it really matter who donates it in the end?" He cleared his throat. "Anyways, did my ears deceive me, or were you trying to get my underage intern to drink? Were you trying to make it look like I'm a terrible mentor, or did you have some other nefarious scheme in mind?" Peter recognized that hardened tone, it was how he acted anytime his boyfriend got jealous. The younger man snuck a glance at the billionaire, and was completely unsurprised to see that Tony was glaring at Hammer.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hammer replied, coolly. "How am I supposed to know his age?"
Scoffing, Tony said, "Everyone who pays any kind of attention to the news knows how old Pete is. Stark Industries don't give out full scholarships to too many people, especially not a scholarship and a paid internship package deal. Pete here is one of the smartest kids, if not the smartest, of his generation." He sounded proud, which caused Peter's heart to beat faster. By the way Tony's hand tightened on Peter's shoulder, the billionaire must've noticed.
"You act as though you think I actually care what Stark Industries decide to do."
"Don't you? I mean, you did sit prison time for aiding and abetting a criminal who was trying to kill me. I think that sort of equals you caring about my company. Enough to the point where you don't really care what you have to do to sabotage it, even if it means dragging someone completely innocent into your pointless war." Hammer went to speak, but Tony held up his hand. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take my intern here and head out. And if I catch you harassing him again, don't think I'll hesitate to kick you where it'll hurt like a bitch."
And with that, Tony steered Peter away, and into another room that was surprisingly empty. Finally, he removed his arm from around Peter's shoulder, only to grab both of Peter's shoulders and look the younger man in the eyes.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Tony asked, his brown eyes full of concern.
"I'm fine, a little shaken, but fine," Peter admitted.
"Why don't we ditch the party and head back to the tower? We can go up to the penthouse and watch whatever movie you want to while cuddling. That sound like a plan?"
Peter nodded his head, and Tony smiled softly at him. He pressed a quick kiss to Peter's forehead, before leading the younger man out of the building, and into the car that Happy had driven them there in.
"I had Happy fetch the car when I saw Hammer harassing you," Tony admitted as they slid into the back of the car.
"Thanks," Peter replied, meaning it, as he leaned into Tony's side, feeling safe and secure there, glad to feel that way after how he'd felt around Hammer. He had been absolutely terrified not even ten minutes ago, but now that he was alone with Tony (and Happy, but there was a divider up between the front and back of the car, giving them some kind of semblance of privacy), he felt much better, more secure.
And anyways, he was looking forward to cuddles with Tony.