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"Peter, you're spoiling him."
Dum-E had noticed some changes recently.
"He's a good boy! He deserves some spoiling!"
One of the main changes of course was how often he received pets from the brunette young man who currently had both hands rubbing his claw and arm, mumbling praise in between talking to the older man.
"He's not. He's a robotic moron. Literally just yesterday he tried to feed you a smoothie with motor oil." Tony's words were harsh but his smile was loving.
"He's a good boy." Peter repeated, smiling wider at Dum-e.
Throughout the years Dum-e had tried his best to look after his creator.
Tony, of course, hadn't made that easy.
Dum-e had, on many occasions, seen Tony had been awake, working, for far too long, and would knock into his current project to make Tony lose focus, when Tony would stop to take in the damage FRIDAY would quickly take the opportunity to be listened to, and announce how many hours it had been since Tony had slept.
Or Dum-e would intentionally get himself tangled in something, and Tony would be drawn away from his work by the distressed beeping, and after helping Dum-e out, muttering about what a dunce the bot was, he'd take a moment and realise how exhausted he was, and go upstairs.
Either way, the result was the same - Tony would be thrown off of his groove, and go to bed.
Dum-e had often noticed Tony's hunger or dehydration long before the man did. Being a kind bot he brought food and drinks to his human whenever he needed. Granted, most contained some inedible ingredient by accident, but Tony was thankful enough at the gifts to at least try most of them. Usually this was followed by him spitting them out at high speeds, but still.
He would sit with Tony when he had a bad day. Beep at Tony when he was clearly lonely. Spin around the room when Tony needed exercise.
He cared about Tony. He wanted his creator to be happy and healthy, and he did what he could to help with that.
But it was never easy.
Then.
Peter.
Tony and Peter had met, and started dating. Tony started going out more, meeting Peter.
He'd smile more, laugh at things Peter had texted.
Every so often Tony would quietly think for a while, and get himself something to eat, saying to Dum-e as he did that Peter'd be disappointed in him if he didn't.
And then, Peter visited the Lab.
Tony paced the room anxiously, rearranging things as he went, trying to tidy but barely making a dent on the mess covering the tables.
"He's not gonna be dissapointed right, Dum-e?" Tony said, moving his latest project to the side, before deciding it looked better where it was, and putting it back. Anxiously trying to get everything looking perfect.
Dum-e beeped.
"Right. Yeah. He's a nerd, he likes making stuff too, he knows labs get messy, right? He's not going to be dissapointed. He's not going to think I'm some kind of slob." Tony paused. "Right...?"
Dum-e beeped. Again.
"Okay, yeah. But-" Tony cut himself off, as Dum-e nudged him gently with the side of his claw.
Tony sighed and grabbed on to the claw, gently moving his hands across it to pet the bot.
"Yeah. Thanks, buddy."
The elevator dinged outside the room and Tony tightened his grip briefly. The sound of footsteps echoed quietly as Peter came closer. Tony patted Dum-e and went to greet Peter at the door.
"Hey, Pete."
"Hi!" Peter replied, gently kissing Tony's cheek, and bouncing in place.
"So. This is it!" Tony announced, previous worries masked with bravado. "I can show you around, but it's pretty much just what you see. There's a coffee pot. There's the project I was telling you about. There's-"
Peter had his eyes locked on Dum-e, jaw dropped almost imperceptively.
Tony realised he had lost most of Peter's attention. "Uhh. Pete-?"
A huge smile split Peter's face and he jumped in place like a child full of sugar. "Is that Dum-e? The robot you've told me about?!"
Tony glanced back at Dum-e, who beeped in response. "Yeah, he is, but-"
Peter rushed to Dum-e. Looking at him closely, analysing every trait, every screw, and rambling excitedly the whole time. "Wow, look at you! Oh! What are these wires for? How do you move? How tall can you get?"
Dum-e looked to Tony, who was gazing at Peter, a soft smile on his face.
Dum-e liked Peter.
Everyone else who met Dum-e brushed him off. An expected display of Tony Stark's genious. Inconsequential, other than a display of Tony's skill.
No one had ever been so pleased to meet him before.
As Tony and Peter's relationship progressed the younger man spent more and more time sleeping over with Tony, and more time sitting with him in the Lab.
One such night Tony had been working until one in the morning. Dum-e was wondering how long he was going to keep working, how long he should give it before getting himself tangled.
And then Peter had walked in.
Wearing only boxers and one of Tony's shirts, Peter yawned and stretched at the door, and walked over to Tony, rubbing his eyes.
Tony felt a hand land gingerly on his shoulder and looked up at Peter.
"Come back to bed?" He asked. "It's cold without you."
Tony had smiled tiredly, and followed him without complaint.
"Goodnight, Dum-e." Peter said, lightly kissing the bot's claw as he left. "Sleep well."
"He's a robot, Pete." Dum-e heard as they left the room. "He doesn't sleep."
He didn't sleep. But with his waking life filled with so much love, it more than made up for it in his mind.
Since he was created Dum-e had done whatever he could to look after Tony.
And now he wasn't the only one looking after him, and Tony wasn't the only one looking after Dum-e.
He hopes Peter never leaves.
The ring in Tony's jacket pocket might make Dum-e's wish a reality.