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“Now, before you get upset at me, you have to promise you won’t be mad.”
Tony pinched his nose as he held his phone against his ear. “Do you hear yourself right now, Peter?” He tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice, but it was difficult. He counted to ten, and then spoke again. “You just said I’m going to get upset with you, and then you tell me not to. Which is it?”
“I know you, okay! I’m just trying to make sure you understand that what has happened is entirely out of my control.” Peter’s voice came through loud and clear, Tony returning his fingers to the bridge of his nose as he tried not to panic. “Now, are you calm?”
“Not at all.” He said, gritting his teeth. “What the hell is going on? And why did you call me from an unlisted number?” Tony glanced at his phone screen, just to confirm that that was the case. “Where’s your cell phone? Did you lose it? Please tell me you didn’t lose it. There are a lot of important numbers on your phone, Parker.”
“Hey! What did I say!” Tony felt bad for calling his lover by his last name. It had been a long time since he’d done that, as they’ve moved past it with their budding relationship. But then again, it’s not every day that Peter called him from an unlisted number and told him not to be mad. “You can’t be mad, Mr. Stark!”
Hearing him revert to being called Mr. Stark also didn’t really feel right with Tony, which increased his annoyance. “Tell me what the hell is going on right now, or I’m hanging up.”
“Don’t hang up! I only get one phone call!”
He groaned as the last sentence hit him hard. “Tell me you’re joking right now, Peter.” He got up from the chair he was sitting on, and began to pace the room. “Tell. Me.”
“Um….I have a really good explanation??”
“No, you don’t. Because no matter what you say, I’m not going to believe you. There is absolutely no good reason for you to be arrested. Or detained by them.” He stopped walking and looked over at the window. “Shit. You’re not in there as Spider-Man, are you?”
“NO.”
His shoulders dropped, somewhat relieved to hear that. “What the hell were you doing?? Where are you? Which precinct?”
“Uh…”
“Peter, I swear to God, if you want to spend the night in jail I’m more than happy to make that happen for you.” Tony was already walking towards the elevator as he waited for his lover to answer him. “And, are you alone?”
“No, Ned’s with me.”
“Oh joy.” He knew that Ned was a good kid, so there must have been some sort of altercation if they were both being detained by the police. “Did you find out what precinct you’re at?”
“Twenty-fourth.”
That was good. He knew where that was. At least Peter was in Manhattan. “Okay, fine. I can be there in like 20 minutes, give or take. Are you guys okay? Are they going to book you on a misdemeanor charge? What the hell happened, Peter?”
“I don’t know.” He heard the worry in Peter’s voice, instantly making him feel awful. “I’m scared, Tony.”
“Don’t be, sweetheart.” Tony dropped his annoyance, very aware that Peter had no idea what was going on. He’d been detained by the police way more often than he would have liked. He’d been arrested on a few occasions, much to his father’s chagrin. Not all rich men could bail out their kids. “It’s going to be okay. No matter what happened, we’ll deal with it, okay? I love you.”
“I love you too.” Peter sniffled softly, breaking Tony’s heart. “Are you coming here?”
“I am. I told you, twenty minutes. Try not to piss anyone off, okay? Sit with Ned. Talk about dumb things.” Tony unlocked his car, and got into the driver’s seat. “It’s going to be okay, Peter.”
“Okay. Promise you’re not mad?”
“Not at all. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye, Tony.”
Ending the call, he dropped his phone on the center console and groaned. This was not the sort of phone call he’d been expecting to receive today. He had left work early, and had been hanging out in his penthouse, waiting for Peter to return home. And now he knew why Peter hadn’t shown up when he should have, but really - he hadn’t been worried. But now, now he was worried and was trying to figure out the best way to get his lover out of jail without having to bribe the police. Should have brought the suit with me.
It took him about thirty minutes to get to the twenty-fourth precinct, traffic doing little for him. He parked his car in a clearly designated spot, not wanting to take any chances with these guys, and headed towards the front door of the building. He walked in, and saw that there was quite a few people milling about, which he could potentially use to his advantage if necessary. He walked over to the front desk, and waited for the on duty police officer to look up and pay attention to him.
“Sign in there.” The cop said, without looking up from the book he was reading. Tony wanted to roll his eyes, but held back as he wasn’t about to get thrown into the slammer with his lover. That would do no one any good. “If you have any questions, the lietenant will be back in a half hour.”
“So, if I’m signing in, what the hell am I doing that for?” Tony asked, keeping his ‘professional’ voice in tact. That’s when the guard decided to look up, and Tony watched as he realized who he was. “Hello.” He gave a little wave, as the cop stood up, and looked around.
“Oh, my gosh! You’re….You’re!”
“Yes, I am.” He didn’t bother trying to correct him, as that would do no good. “Listen, I’ve got a couple of friends that have been brought in. I need to know - are they in trouble? What happened?”
“Who are you friends, Mr. Stark?” There it was, finally - the name recognition. “What’s their names? I can see if I can tell you.” The cop was suddenly very much interested in what Tony was going to say, no longer paying any attention to his book.
Tony pulled his phone out, and showed him a picture of both Peter and Ned. Luckily, he’d had one saved in his photo album, never once thinking he would have to use it to do something like this. “Their names are Peter Parker, and Ned….”
“Leeds?” The cop asked, as he looked at a clipboard.
“Yes, that’s them.” Tony nodded his head. “Are they in serious trouble?” He tried to keep his panic at bay, but now that he was here and had the direct attention of one of the officers, it was becoming somewhat difficult.
The cop shook his head. “No, we brought them in for questioning because they happened to see a robbery take place. They came without fighting, but had looked a little guilty so that’s why we brought them in.”
“To scare them?” He asked, hoping that that wasn’t the case. “Or, were they doing something they shouldn’t be doing?”
“No, Mr. Stark. They were fine. They’re separated at the moment, though. We had one of our officers waiting to talk to them, but they had to take a call.”
“Do you mind if I go in and check on Mr. Parker?”
“Not at all!”
Tony hid his smirk as he followed the cop over to the office entrance, and was escorted through. “Hey, do you think I could get a picture with you, sir?” The cop asked, as he led him towards the back of the precinct. “My wife won’t believe me if I tell her you came into the office today.”
“Sure. I’ll be more than happy to snap a few pics with you and your buddies, once my two friends are released.” Tony wanted to be specifically clear that he had no intention of doing anything nice if they weren’t going to let them go. “They’re going to be let go, right?”
“Yes, sir.” They came to a stop in front of a closed door. “Mr. Parker is in there. How long do you want?”
“Give me five minutes.”
“You got it, sir.” The door was unlocked by the cop, and Tony put a serious expression on his face as he stayed behind him. “Parker. You’ve got a visitor.”
“What?”
Hearing Peter’s voice made some of the panic that had been lingering disappear, as he knew that he was fine. He walked in behind the cop, and gave a little formal wave. “Hello, Mr. Parker.”
“M-Mr. Stark!” The relief that he saw on Peter’s face made his stomach roll, more anxiety disappearing by the second. But he wouldn’t return his smile, not until the cop left the room. “Mr. Stark, I can explain!” Peter started to get up, but then sat back down as the handcuffs he was currently wearing prevented him from doing too much.
“Are those really necessary?” Tony asked, as he saw the cop go over to the door. “Can’t you let him out of those?”
“Sorry, Mr. Stark. Not until he talks with Officer Preya. Those have to remain on. I’ll be back in five.”
There was no reason to argue, as it wouldn’t get them anywhere. He waited for the door to close, and then he let the smirk appear on his lips. “You’re in trouble.”
“I didn’t do anything!” The exasperation came out in full in Peter’s voice. “They’re doing this to scare us! We weren’t doing anything Tony. This is ridiculous.”
“You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Tony grabbed the chair opposite Peter, and turned it around so that he could rest his arms against the back of it, while he straddled it. “You fucked up, Peter.”
“Not you too.” His young lover groaned, and lowered his head to the table. “This is so stupid. I knew I shouldn’t have gone with Ned. I knew I should have taken the suit.”
“Why didn’t your Peter tingle kick in?” He was curious, as it was usually something that Peter relied heavily on. “Surely you should have known something was amiss.”
“I did!” Peter gave a tug, the two of them looking at the way the handcuffs were protesting at the jerky movements.
“Peter, don’t.” Tony shook his head. “They can’t know what you are.”
“It would just be so easy…” Another tug, and then another protest of metal could be heard very discreetly.
He put his hand on top of Peter’s, holding it firmly against the table. He knew that Peter could break out of the hold any time he wanted - his super strength was admirable, but also could be quite terrifying. “Don’t.” He spoke sternly, looking Peter dead in the eye. “You don’t want to get into actual trouble. They’re going to let you go after you talk to the officer that I’m guessing brought you in.”
“She’s mean.”
“They usually are.”
“Like, worse than Natasha mean.”
That perked his interest. “Maybe we should see if she wants to be an Avenger.”
“Toooony.”
Tony smirked, and gave his hand a pat. “I’m sure she’s going to be fine.” He curled his fingers around Peter’s, then glanced at the cuffs again. “You know, I’ve always wanted to use some of these with you. This isn’t how I pictured our first handcuffs experience being.”
“Tony.” Looking across the table, he saw that Peter’s cheeks were bright red, as were the tips of his ears. Tony chuckled softly as he gave his fingers a little squeeze, then set his hand on the table. “After this, I don’t think I ever want a pair of these on my body. Like, ever.”
“But you know you didn’t do anything wrong.” He shook his head, as he leaned forward against the chair. “I bet Ned’s probably freaking out right now.”
“That’s not funny, Tony.”
“You guys are good kids. I still don’t see why bringing you here, and keeping you in handcuffs, had to be a thing. These guys must have been bored today.” There’s a knock on the door, Tony standing up from the chair. “I guess I’ll be waiting outside for you, Mr. Parker.” He switched to calling his lover by his last name, as the cop that had been helping him out opened the door.
“Yes, Mr. Stark.” The sullen look on Tony’s face made his chest ache, but he knew Peter was acting. At least, he hoped he was acting.
Tony was led back to the front of the precinct. “Officer Preya is going to be talking with the both of them now. They should be out in about twenty minutes. Want a donut?”
“No, thank you.” Tony shook his head, even though the pink box was tempting him. “Could I have some coffee, though?”
“Sure, Mr. Stark!” The cop grabbed a styrofoam cup, and poured something that looked closer to tar than coffee into it. “We make it pretty strong here. Need any cream or sugar?”
“I’m good.” Taking the cup, he walked over to one of the open benches and took a seat, hoping that Peter and Ned wouldn’t be too upset when they were released.
Twenty minutes later, he saw both young men being walked back towards the front of the precinct by a tough looking cop. Yeah, no wonder why Peter was terrified of her - she definitely looked like someone you did not want to piss off. “You boys better be a lot more careful next time.” She chastised them as they walked over to Tony. “Mr. Stark - thank you for coming down here.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He looked at both Peter and Ned, then back at her. “Everything in order now, Officer?”
“It is. They were in the wrong place. No sheets for them.”
“Thank you.” Tony nodded his head, then pointed to the door. “Let’s go, gentlemen. My car is outside. Thanks again!” He gave a little wave to the cop who had been helping him earlier, and then put both of his hands on Peter and Ned’s shoulders, and led them out of the building.
He kept his hands in place on their shoulders as he led them over to his car. “Ned - am I taking you home? Or somewhere else?”
“Home, Mr. Stark.” He could see that Ned’s face was a little puffy, no doubt from crying for a bit while they had been inside. “Please. You remember where that is?”
“Course I do.” Taking his hands away, he reached into his pocket and unlocked the car. “Go ahead and get in the back. Peter - feel free to sit back there with him if you want.”
“Are you sure, Tony?” Now they were outside, Peter dropped the formality, which he was pleased by. “I don’t have to.”
“I insist.” He nodded his head towards the backseat. “I know you two have had a crazy afternoon.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Tony got into the driver’s seat, and typed in Ned’s name on his console, pulling up the address to his place in Queens. “You two good back there?” He asked, as he got his seatbelt on. “All buckled in?”
“Yes, sir.” A chorus was heard from behind him.
He figured he’d leave them alone, and pulled out of the parking spot and followed the directions to Ned’s place. He saw Peter walk him up to the door, and then turned his head as the two shared a friendly embrace. Peter got back into the car, this time into the passenger’s seat. Tony pulled his sunglasses down, and gave him a look.
“Okay, before you get mad - I’ve got to tell you, that is not how I wanted you to find me.” Peter immediately put up his defenses again. “It was a mistake. I think they were trying to scare us.”
“Well? Did it work?”
“Of course it did!” He hid his smile, as Peter groaned. “It’s not fair. They think just because we’re young we’re up to something bad. We weren’t. We were building our character sheets for Ned’s new campaign!” Peter shook his head. “I really wish I had had the suit on me, because then I could have just become Spider-Man, and then we wouldn’t have wasted the afternoon like that.”
“Now you know for next time.” Tony reached over and put a hand on his thigh. “But really - you’re okay, right? Let me see your wrist, please.”
Peter held his arm out towards him, Tony noticing the circle of red around his wrist from the handcuff. “It doesn’t hurt. You know it’ll be gone in a few hours.”
“Still not nice.” He pulled it up to his hand, and gave it a light kiss. And then another, until he kissed his pulse point on his wrist. He could feel the heat radiating off of Peter’s body, which brought the smirk back to his lips. “Look, why don’t we go home? When we get there, you can bitch to me all you want about the police. You’re lucky they’re not going to do anything. It takes years to get that shit off of your record.”
“How many times have you been arrested?”
Tony was glad that Peter wasn’t as naive as he thought he might try to be. “Enough times to know how shitty a situation it is. So, like I said, you guys got lucky. Or unlucky, really.” He reached over and kissed Peter’s hand again, then put it back on the steering wheel. “Now, I dn’t know about you, but I want to go home. I’m hungry, and would like to spend a little more one on one time with you. If at all possible.”
“I’d love nothing more than that, Tony.”
He drove them back to the tower, and then when they were in the elevator, he pulled Peter close to him. He wasn’t going to let go of him, not any time soon. They took off their shoes at the entrance to his penthouse, then Tony pulled Peter over to the couch, where they set up to do a quick marathon of Peter’s favorite television show. He was going to pamper his lover as much as possible tonight, because he deserved it after the afternoon he’d had.
Later on in the evening, they wound up in his bed together, both covered in a fine sheen of sweat from their sexual activities they’d just enjoyed. “What did you learn today?” Tony asked, brushing a kiss against some of the curls that were covering Peter’s forehead.
“Be more observant. If you see shit going down and you’re not in costume, run away fast.”
“Very good.” He lowered his head, and kissed him softly on the lips. “You did the right thing today, Peter. I’m proud of you.”
“Really?”
Tony nodded his head. “Yes, really. And, if you ever find yourself in that situation again - and even if it’s another kind of situation that you have to use me as your only phone call? Don’t ever start the conversation with ‘Don’t be mad at me.’”
“Got it. I’m sorry, Tony. I panicked.”
“And so did I. Especially because you used those words.”
“Right. I understand.” Peter put his head on his shoulder, and turned in towards him, Tony welcoming him into his arms. “You’re not mad, right?”
“Not at all, sweetheart.” He held him close, and kissed him softly on the lips. “This won’t be the only time this happens. It’s part of the job.”
“It’s not the part I like.” The huff that left his mouth made him chuckle softly.
“I am the same, Peter.” Tony shifted his arm, and pulled him a little closer. “But, that’s in the past now. Now, we move forward.”
“Yes, please.”
As they started to drift off to sleep, he heard Peter clear his throat. “What is it?” He murmured, not at all ready to open his eyes.
“Did you really want to use handcuffs, Tony?”
He felt his cock twitch lazily, but then sleep was more prevalent at the moment. “Maybe. Let’s discuss it later, okay? Sleep now. Love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you too, Tony. And okay.”
But as he heard Peter start to snore, Tony laid awake as he thought about getting a pair of vibranium cuffs from T’Challa, as those would be the only ones that could hold his lover properly. But that would have to wait, as right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. Listening to Peter’s breaths, he began to match him, and then fell asleep, keeping his lover secure in his arms, happy that the day was finally over.