"So we all had a lot of food at the barbeque and the general consensus is that no one is really hungry enough for an actual meal, which means we're just going to have the finger foods and drinks."

"And later we'll have cake," Peter added, smiling at Ramonda, who was walking beside him, her arm tucked into his own. "With ice cream."

"And presents?" Ramonda asked, smiling.

"The guests were all told not to bring gifts," Pepper replied. "However, I know for a fact that some of us did get her something."

"It's what we do, here," Tony said. "Birthday can't be a birthday if you don't at least get a present to show that it happened."

"That is reasonable," T'Challa agreed. He looked at his mother, smiling. "When you are in the Gorilla City, you do as the Jabari do."

She shrugged.

"I suppose."

"Mother is just annoyed, because Shuri is spending her birthday here, with the Avengers, rather than with her, celebrating her for bearing her, and raising her to be such an exemplary citizen."

Ramonda gave an indelicate snort of disapproval.

"You make sound as if I am a monster," she complained.

Peter smiled.

"I think you did a great job raising Shuri."

She brushed a kiss against his cheek, using the hold she had on his arm to maintain that connection.

"Thank you, Peter."

He hugged her.

"You can have two pieces of cake – or one of the big frosting flowers. Then it'll be your day, too."

T'Challa rolled his eyes, a sure sign that he was in the presence of people that he was comfortable with.

"Do not encourage her, Peter."

As Ramonda started to respond, they walked into the gym, and found that most of the people were gathered in the karaoke corner. They were shouting encouragement, but they were also blocking the view, so none of them could see what was going on. Only the fact that Thor towered over almost all of them, and his hair was blonde, told them that he was involved. The god of thunder was smirking as he watched whatever it was everyone else was watching.

"What's going on?" Stephen asked, curiously.

The crowd parted, then, as everyone realized that T'Challa and Ramonda were with Tony and the others, and the newcomers saw that Thor had set Mjolnir on a simple wooden stool, and at the moment, Ned and Flash were trying to lift it, together. Tony well knew that they wouldn't have any luck, and from the look on the faces of the others, this wasn't the first attempt, because none of them were expecting it to move, either.

"Ah, Tony… and your Majesty…" Thor was never one for ceremony if he could avoid it, and he was a god and that outranked king, as far as he was concerned, so he didn't need to be too formal. "Peter's classmates are trying to prove that they are worthy."

"They are failing," Shuri added, her eyes alive with humor and awe. Humor because the boys were amusing to watch as they strained to pick up something that wasn't moving, and awe because she was standing beside Thor, and he was even more of a legend than Tony Stark, or every king that has ever been. "It is hilarious."

"There has to be a trick to it," Ned said, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "Magnets, or something."

"No trick," Thor told them.

"It's a hammer, though," one of the teens said. "It can't decide who picks it up."

"It's a magic hammer," Thor reminded them – again. He looked so smug that Tony rolled his eyes. "Enchanted with the knowledge of the Asgardian, and forged with the fire from the creation of the universe."

Someone was being just a little too cocky, Tony decided, amused despite that. He knew just how frustrating it was to try to pick that stupid hammer up and to fail. Of course, it was good entertainment for the kids and if they were allowed, they'd probably keep trying all night – which would keep them out of trouble, after all. However, Thor would just get a fat head the longer it went on, and that wouldn't do.

While the others were distracted by Shuri stepping up to the stool, looking at Thor for permission and then reaching for the handle of the hammer, Tony nudged Peter, who looked over at him with a grin.

"Why don't you show them how worthy you are and take him down a notch?" he asked, softly.

The boy's expressive eyes grew surprised at the suggestion. And uncertain.

"Do you think I should? They're not stupid. They're going to know something is up."

"You're already held it in front of all of them," Tony pointed out. "They aren't going to see anything new."

Besides, he wanted to see the expressions on the kids' faces when Peter lifted the hammer. His boy was really good at hiding what he could do, and biting his tongue when someone – usually Flash, but there were others at his school, Tony knew – who called him runt, or peewee, or any number of names that were designed as insults, or just digs, toward a boy who was more remarkable than any of them would ever know. Even Ned, who was his best friend, didn't know everything that Peter could do and had done.

Peter looked at Pepper, as if asking for permission, and she smiled and shrugged, leaving it up to him.

He smiled, and stepped up, releasing Ramonda's arm as he did. The boy smiled at Shuri's who echoed it in greeting, and then reached for the haft of the hammer, his own hand brushing Shuri's where it was still holding the hammer. Despite herself, her eyes widened when he picked up the hammer that she was holding.

"Do not let it go," the princess warned. "Flash almost dislocated his shoulder when it dropped to the floor on his first attempt."

"I've got it," he assured her.

"So, Peter is worthy," Thor said with a shrug at the silence that followed the display. "We already knew that."

He was amused at the display of casualness, and was showman enough to enjoy seeing others with the same ability. Especially Peter, since there was no malice in it. The boy had saved the universe, after all. Of course he was worthy.

Natasha was looking just as smug as Tony, for the same reason, and not bothering to hide it. Shuri released her grip on the hammer, and Peter handed it over to the god of thunder with a self-deprecating smile.

"T'Challa and his mother are here," he pointed out, in case their presence had been missed by the others.

"And I am going to greet them," he agreed, turning to the watching teens. "Find me, later, and I'll tell you all the giants story I mentioned, earlier."

He moved toward where Tony was standing with T'Challa and the others, and Peter's classmates crowded around the boy – and Shuri.

"How did you do that, Peter?" Abe asked, admiringly. "I tried to lift it and it didn't budge."

"He's worthy," Ned said, basking in the reflected glory of his friend's accomplishment. "Obviously."

"But how?"

They were all intelligent kids and would have that burning desire to understand how things work. Something like Thor's magical hammer, even. They needed to quantify and qualify it, like they did everything in their every day lives.

Peter shrugged.

"I don't know, really," he admitted. "I just happened to pick it up, one day when Thor was here, visiting."

"Was it heavy?" one of the girls asked.

"No. It doesn't feel like it weighs anything." He smiled and shrugged, ready to turn the conversation away from himself. "I've never waved it around, or anything, though, so it probably is. Thor has a lot more muscles than I do."

"True that," Flash agreed. He was watching Peter with an odd expression, though. "So now that T'Challa is here, what happens?" he asked, looking at Shuri.

Maybe he was ready to move the conversation away from Peter, as well.

"He is here for the party," the princess reminded them. "I assume we can start the party, then."

"After the formal introductions," Natasha told all of them, moving into the crowd of teens, easily, and standing next to Ned. "We'll have a receiving line that you all are invited to make use of, if you want. You simply go along and greet the people who will be in it; which will include Shuri, here, T'Challa, her mother Ramonda, Tony and Pepper."

"Not Peter?" MJ asked.

Peter smiled, relieved that he'd gotten out of that particular honor.

"I'm not important enough," he replied.

She smirked at that, but turned her attention to Shuri.

"Ready?"

"Of course." The princess turned to the others. "I will see you in the receiving line," she told them, leaving with Natasha – and Okoye, who had been standing in the background, watching everything, as she always did.

They waited for her to leave with the rest of the adults, and Ned grinned at his friend.

"I love coming out here. You know that, right?"

Peter smiled, even as the other kids nodded their agreement.

"Never a dull moment," he agreed. He reached for one of the notebooks with karaoke listings. "What are you going to sing, first, MJ?"