Despite being up late – and then staying up even later when he returned to his quarters – Peter was awake early, and dressed long before Ned came knocking on his door.

"You look tired," his friend told him, cheerfully. "Did you stay up late and play video games without me?"

"No. Just had a long night."

He didn't have any good snacks in his fridge, just then, so as soon as Ned was done looking in it, they silently agreed to go to the lounge, where they could find something to munch on to tide them over until brunch. Or until they met Natasha in the gym. Peter told Ned about his conversation with Flash as they walked, and how he'd just gone to the other boy's room to get Nutmeg, and had ended up actually talking to him – without Flash using the word penis once.

"That's different," Ned said. "We're sure it's really Flash?" he asked, only half-joking. "We didn't have any weird body snatchers, or something invade the compound in the middle of the night?"

Peter smiled at that, not telling his friend that nothing like that could happen.

"It was a little surreal," he admitted. "But, yeah, it was him."

He hesitated, then, wondering if he should tell Ned about what happened with him and Shuri. He didn't know if saying something would be bragging – which wouldn't be right, of course – or even appropriate, since it had been Shuri who had kissed him. Or would she even want him to tell anyone? Peter didn't think she cared if it was common knowledge. She wouldn't have kissed him in front of the guard if she didn't want anyone to know.

Right?

He was still mulling it over when they walked into the lounge, and he was surprised to see that Tony was already up, and sitting at the corner table with a cup of coffee and his tablet.

"There's Tony," Ned said – unnecessarily. "I didn't think he'd be up, yet."

"Yeah, neither did I."

Maybe he'd already received a call from T'Challa that morning? Maybe Shuri had already been sent home, sometime in the middle of the night, and Pepper had sent Tony to meet Peter in the lounge to break the news to him, gently? Or maybe Pepper was mad, and it was Tony who was going to talk to him until she was over the annoyance of having a scandal in the compound?

That didn't seem too likely, but Peter was good at worrying himself over things like that. Even though he was sure he'd have woken if anything like that had happened.

He felt a purely mental agreement in his mind, but Alec didn't say anything as Peter and Ned walked over to the table in the corner.

"Morning, Tony," Ned said, cheerfully.

The man smiled at both boys and greeted them, setting his coffee down.

"I was hoping to see you, here," he said, once the teens had seated themselves. "We need to talk."

In his distracted contemplations Peter didn't notice that Tony was addressing both of them.

"It was just a kiss," he blurted out. "Well, two, really, but that's all."

Ned and Tony both stared at him.

"What?"

"I mean, she kissed me, yeah, but we didn't do anything."

"What are you-"

"Who?" Ned asked, even as Tony was still trying to understand what he was talking about. His eyes widened. "Shuri?"

Peter nodded, looking at Tony, whose eyebrows had raised until they were in the vicinity of his hairline.

"Yeah."

"You kissed Shuri?" Ned asked, clarifying. "Seriously?"

"She kissed me," he repeated. "But it's okay. I mean, I didn't go into her room, or anything, and her guard was right there – like a chaperone, or something." He realized the expression on Tony's face was surprise. "You didn't know?"

"No. Why would I?"

Peter shrugged.

"I thought maybe Shuri's guard called T'Challa and that he might have called you and Pepper."

"Oh." Tony couldn't miss the worry in Peter's expression, and while he was surprised, he wasn't angry like the boy clearly thought he might be. "I doubt T'Challa's going to freak out over a kiss or two. I'm certainly not."

"You're not?"

Tony allowed himself an amused smile.

"You're sixteen, Peter. I expect you'll have a kiss, here and there. Nothing more, though," he added, quickly.

"Right. No. Of course not."

Peter looked relieved, but Ned was still looking impressed.

"What kind of kiss was it?" he asked, curiously. "On the lips? Did-"

"Ned…" Tony interrupted the interrogation. "Gentlemen don't ask," he told the teen. "And they certainly don't tell," he added, looking at Peter.

Peter nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, no. I wasn't bragging, or anything. I-"

"I know, son," Tony assured him. He smirked. "We don't need to have another talk?"

Peter rolled his eyes, which amused the hell out of Tony to see the boy do something so typically teenager.

"Not another one, no. Nothing happened, and nothing will."

"Good."

"Are you even going to be able to date her?" Ned asked. "She's a princess."

"I don't know if she even wants to date me," Peter countered. "I don't want to read anything into it that might not be there."

"Good choice," Tony approved. He smiled, though, and his expression turned tender. Imagine, being worried that the folks wouldn't approve – of a kiss. "If you have any questions… or if you need to talk…"

"He has me," Ned reminded Tony, pretending to wipe a speck of dust from his shoulder. "I'm a lady's man. I'll get him through it."

Now it was Stark who rolled his eyes, and Peter snorted.

"Thanks, Ned." Peter frowned, though. "If you didn't want to talk to me about Shuri, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to talk to you both," Tony told him, and now his expression was serious, again. "About this sparring thing."

"Oh." He felt another amused snort from inside his head, and couldn't help but feel a little foolish for panicking over something that Tony obviously wasn't at all concerned about. Or was hiding that concern, if he was. "What about it?"

"I'm okay with you sparring with Natasha," Tony replied, looking at Ned. "But I don't want it to go beyond that. If someone else – one of your classmates, I mean – steps up and challenges you, after, I want you to decline. Understand?"

"Yeah." Ned nodded. "Natasha can kill me and we both know it, so I don't have anything to prove with her. But if someone else – like Flash – wants to try me, then there's egos involved and someone might get hurt, because it won't be in fun."

"Exactly."

It wasn't the first time they'd had that consideration, of course, but it was the first time Ned had been involved. Peter's best friend was a good-natured guy, but he was also a guy, and there was always going to be some testosterone involved when a group of teenagers were together. Tony understood, and was fine with that, but he didn't want things to escalate, and didn't want anyone getting hurt.

"I'll be cool," Ned assured him.

Tony looked at Peter.

"Same thing goes for you." He knew Peter already knew that, but it definitely didn't hurt to throw the reminder out there. "Show your friends what you can do – some of it, at least – if you want, but only against Natasha, or Steve, if he's there. You don't even spar against Ned. Yeah?"

"Right." He hesitated. "You don't care if I spar?"

"Nope. If you want to, go ahead. Or just watch, if you want."

He knew Peter was always holding himself back, and he was proud of the boy for being able to do it. But there was something to be said for showing off, too. Tony knew about that, of course, and he wasn't worried at all that Peter would come even close to some of the things that he, himself, had done.

"Wow."

He smiled at the excitement in Peter's eyes, and held up his hand.

"Only against Natasha or Steve," he repeated.

"Right."