Chapter Text
"Y'know, I still don't understand why we need to attend these kind of things."
Tony rolled his eyes, amusement rippling through him at his companion's disgruntled tone, "Don't give me that bullshit, you know exactly why, and besides, this isn't a we situation, it's an I situation." He raised an eyebrow, not bothering to look up from his phone as he commented, "I gave you the choice of not coming, you didn't want to be left behind."
"One, I'm both your assistant and your bodyguard, and as the latter, I'm kind of contracted to guard your body - no don't give me that look, you know damn well I didn't mean it that way - and two, I'm not talking about going for this gala specifically, I'm talking about going to these kinds of gala in general."
Tony paused in his typing and looked up, giving the other man a questioning look.
Seeing his confusion, Percy sighed, "Charity balls I get, promotional dinners I get, they have some kind of meaning to them, but this?" he frowned, something like disgust flitting across his face momentarily, "This is just some boot-licking event filled with people who just want to climb into the beds of the rich masquerading as a poor excuse for a party organized to 'supposedly' show their support for the superhero community."
Tony blinked several times before grinning, "You sure don't mince your words kid."
The bodyguard in question growled in response, "I'm not a kid."
Tony just laughed, waving off the kid's glare. Over the past few months of working together, he'd come to realize that Percy Jackson was as prickly as a hedgehog and about as sociable as a rock - if you weren't his friend. He knew that the kid - man actually - had gone through experiences that would break anyone else, and the betrayal and heartbreak he suffered through caused him to hide behind a frigid mask. But Tony had begun to see behind the mask, had learnt to read the genuine concern behind the gruff exterior.
He'd learnt just how deep Percy's loyalty ran when he gave it to someone and if he needed to describe it, he'd - very unoriginally - describe the kid's loyalty like an ocean, vast and deep, stretching on for what seemed like forever.
It gave him an insight to just how painful it must have been when the person closest to him had betrayed him.
Tony swore to himself that he would never do that to the kid, that for all that Percy Jackson had done for him, the last thing he would do was betray the kid.
So the genius just rolled his eyes again - he'd been doing more of that recently - and said, "It's only for a few hours, then we'll leave and hopefully never see these people again."
His assistant grinned sharply, "You can't stand it either can you?" he noted gleefully.
Tony scowled, pointing his phone at him, "I will make you go to the next ten galas on my behalf if you keep that up aquaboy," he threatened, "I will, don't think I won't."
Percy just leaned back into his seat, crossing his arms defiantly, his eyes still sparking with amusement at his boss' expense.
A rap on the divider drew both their attentions to Happy.
"Boss, we're almost there."
Just like that, Tony watched as a switch suddenly flipped, the relaxed shoulders tensing as Percy became serious, the ex-demigod turning back to him, "Remember -"
"No wandering out of your line of sight, no pissing off important people and stay away from the windows, I got it." Tony scowled, "I'm not a kid."
Percy scoffed, "I know you're not, but this is your first public event after the so called Civil War -" Percy's eyes darkened at the thought even as Tony's shoulders tensed at the media's chosen name for the fallout between the Avengers, "- and I'm not planning on risking anything, not with all the crazies out there."
Tony softened slightly - on the inside of course - giving his bodyguard a smirk, "I know you mean well kid, but this isn't my first gala and it definitely isn't the first time I've gone out when I have a line of enemies waiting to kill me."
"The stakes are higher now. It isn't some kind of corporate enemy or even something by one of Ironman's enemies. The people who are still fanatically obsessed with Captain America and his team of criminals are far more unpredictable, and therefore more dangerous." Percy replied simply, "Besides, I wasn't your bodyguard back then, but I am now, so your safety is my priority."
Tony looked away, forcing the frown from his face as the car drew closer to a horde of screaming fans. Even since he was a kid, he'd always hated Howard's insistence that his life was more valuable than others. It didn't make sense to him, why should his life matter more than others just because he was rich? Did those other people not deserve the basic respect of being human as well? He didn't want other people to sacrifice themselves for him, and he knew that this was only a gala where the risk of an attack was low, but he also knew that as Tony Stark's bodyguard and personal assistant, he was always going to be in some form of danger. Tony could handle himself thank you very much - he was Ironman - but it didn't change the fact that he hated that the kid could be put in danger because of him.
Of course, he knew, logically, that the kid was also an agent of SHIELD who was proficient in combat and could definitely hold his own against normal attackers (and his powers could definitely hold against not so normal attackers), but it still grated at his nerves to have to put somebody else in danger because of who he was.
"You're thinking too much." Percy cut in, his voice interrupting the rapidly derailing thoughts circling in Tony's mind. "Put on a smile for the cameras Mr Stark, we're here."
Tony felt his lips twist into a genuine half-smile as Percy got out of the car first, holding the door open for him.
He flashed a brilliant smile at the cameras, the screams roaring deafeningly around him as people waved their arms at him, held back by both a physical barrier and the numerous security guards lining the sides of the path.
He strode forward confidently, comfort blanketing him as he felt Percy settle at his back.
If there was one big indicator that he had changed since returning from Afghanistan, it was this. Tony forced his lips to turn upward, laughing at some joke he didn't catch as the group he was mingling with roared. Their laughter sounded completely and utterly fake, and it pained him to think that once upon a time he had enjoyed this - enjoyed the attention lavished upon him, the drinks he threw back without a care, a lady draped over him on each arm.
His previously frivolous nature downright disgusted him, and he wondered if it was even a surprise that Christine Everhart had chosen one of his parties to tell him about his company's underhanded dealings.
After Afghanistan, after New York, and now, after Siberia, he no longer had the desire to mingle with people who clearly was after his money or his fame, people who couldn't hold a proper conversation and who resorted to boot-licking almost as soon as he opened his mouth. Tony drained the glass of cocktail in his hand - he was still going sober thank you very much - and excused himself from the ongoing story-telling, raising his empty glass as an excuse.
He meandered through the crowd easily, slipping between bodies with an ease that came with years of practice. Placing his glass on a nearby table, Tony headed for the door, making sure to keep his smile on his face as he took a winded route to conceal his escape. He felt more than saw Percy slide into position behind him, covering his back discreetly.
The moment he exited the ballroom, Tony heaved a sigh of relief, tugging at the knot at his throat.
"Shut up." he grumbled, giving a pointed look to his assistant slash bodyguard.
Said person just raised an eyebrow, "I didn't say anything."
"You didn't need to, I can hear your thoughts plain as day."
"Wow, Tony Stark the mind reader," Percy commented dryly, "Who would've known?"
"I'm going to fire you." Tony growled, checking his phone as it buzzed, FRIDAY cheerfully letting him know that Happy was on his way back to the hotel and was not a happy camper at all.
He wanted to strangle the person who taught his little girl about puns.
He braced himself for the onslaught of cheers and screams again as Percy opened the main door of the hotel, giving him a sly smirk - unseen by the crowd - as Tony discreetly returned the gesture with a finger before stepping out into blazing flashes.
He raised his hand in his customary peace sign and bit the inside of his cheek when some of his fans - male and female alike - swooned.
With the clamor, it was near impossible to distinguish an individual voice.
Somehow, one person's voice carried across the rest, and Tony was three steps from the car (Happy had excellent timing) when a man snarled, his entire body hurling towards him as the rest of the fans broke apart, their screams turning to terror.
"Back-stabbing son of a bitch!" The man cursed, eyes wide with hatred and mouth twisted in an ugly fashion, lunging towards him.
Tony could handle himself, of course, he wasn't useless outside of the suit, but even he was taken aback by the sudden flying body heading his direction. The security members were dealing with pushing back the rabid fans, and so their response was delayed as the man suddenly broke free of their ranks and lunged straight for Tony.
The genius himself pedalled backwards, his watch already transforming into a gauntlet similar to the one he had on him in Berlin.
But before he could use it, he felt Percy shove him a few steps further, the man colliding with his body. The two of them went down, and Tony called the kid's name in alarm, a pair of hands grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the car which just pulled up, Happy shouting for his boss to 'get his ass into the car right now'.
Tony was packed into the car just as Percy flipped the guy over, crushing his face against the ground as the rest of the security team pounced on the man, still screaming and crying bloody murder. Assured that the security team had the man under control, Percy leapt into the car and Happy slammed his foot down on the accelerator, leaving the party and the drama of the night behind.
"Are you hurt?" Tony demanded, rummaging through the compartment of the car for the first aid kit Pepper had him install since - according to her - he liked getting involved in things that would no doubt leave unsightly bloodstains all over the car's leather.
"I'm fine," Percy replied, waving the genius off. The statement was effectively rendered useless when Tony caught a slight wince as he shifted his left shoulder.
The genius pounced immediately, one hand pushing Percy back against the seat, the other gently probing his shoulder. He blinked, mind blank as his hand came away wet. Even though it was dark, Tony didn't need any light to know what the liquid coating his palm was.
"What the hell kid? I thought you said you were fine?" He hissed, reaching out for the gauze that he had dug up and pressing it against the wound.
Percy grunted at the pressure, and returned a scowl of his own, "I'm fine, this is barely a scratch, I've had worse remember?"
Instinctively, Tony's eyes dropped to the jagged white line that ran across Percy's throat, remembering exactly how he had gotten it*.
Averting his gaze, Tony directed his attention to Happy, "Can you call Doctor Lonoff? The kid needs medical attention."
"Woah woah wait up, I don't need a doctor." Percy snapped, "Happy I'm fine, don't call the doc."
"You just got stabbed in the shoulder kid!" Tony huffed, exasperated beyond belief.
"So?" Percy asked incredulously, "Its a minor flesh wound, I'll heal in no time."
"It isn't a matter of whether you'll heal or not," Tony muttered, "That wound needs stitching at least."
"I'll heal." Percy said pointedly, giving Tony a Look.
The genius clenched his jaw and glared at his assistant, who only met it with his own stubborn look.
"Fine," Tony relented, "But you're keeping pressure on that until we get home, and then we're gonna get some food into you. And a blanket, for the shock."
Percy rolled his eyes and shooed Tony back to his own seat, pressing down hard to stem the blood flow, "I don't need a blanket Sir," the demigod said flatly, "I'm not gonna go into shock because of this."
The both of them fell into silence after that, neither speaking up until they reached the Compound, save for when Tony told Happy not to call the doctor anymore, the man looking distinctively unhappy at that, but settled for giving Percy a dirty look to which the demigod merely shot him a cheeky grin.
Tony stopped right before they entered the Compound, turning to Percy with a somber look on his face, "Thank you." He said simply, "For saving my life today."
Percy just stared at him for several moments, then grinned crookedly, "Just don't make it a habit of getting stabbed at parties will you? I know you hate them but this isn't the way to get out of them."
Tony scoffed, the shadows on his face lightening slightly as he took the out his friend gave him, "Excuse you, I don't need any excuse to leave a party. I am the party."
Percy rolled his eyes and pushed his way past the genius, making a beeline for the nearest water source.