AUTHOR'S NOTE:

So this is just going to be a story about attempted romance and whatever might come with it. No promises about how long it will be and I can probably guarantee that there will be some awkward teenaged romance involved.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Seriously? Do your people just decide that you have nothing else to do and make up another holiday to fill in the empty spaces?"

Peter smiled.

"It isn't a made up holiday, T'Challa. Valentine's day has been around since 496AD."

The king of Wakanda frowned and gave his sister's boyfriend a slightly suspicious look.

"Do not think I will not look it up, Peter. And I will remind you that as a noble of Wakanda, it is bad form to lie to your king."

The smile widened.

"Go ahead." He crossed his arms, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in. The lounge was quiet this time of day, although there were a few people going in and out as they started their day. He hadn't seen Tony or Pepper, yet, but Natasha and Steve had just walked through the entrance. Steve was clearly finishing a morning run and had Jack romping at his heel while Natasha looked like she was going to do some sparring, since she was in sweats rather than a leather uniform. "I'll wait."

T'Challa wasn't about to let that challenge go unanswered, and as Peter watched, the young king was handed a tablet and tapped it a few times, looking at the data. Then he frowned and looked back at Peter, who tried to hide his smirk.

"It says here that Valentines began when young men would strip naked and spank young maidens in hopes of increasing their fertility."

The smirk faded, quickly.

"What?"

It was T'Challa's turn to smirk.

"Tell me you did not pull me from a council meeting to ask my permission to strip naked and spank my sister…"

"Do I even want to know what this conversation is about?" Natasha asked, walking over just in time to hear what T'Challa had said.

Peter's ears and cheeks reddened, immediately.

"I was asking T'Challa if Shuri could come here for Valentines Day, next week. He doesn't believe it's a holiday – and then, apparently, found some obscure barbarian tradition associated with it."

"Stripping naked and spanking maidens?" she asked, smiling a greeting to T'Challa as she said it. "He used to be such a sensible boy before he discovered girls…"

Peter made a pained noise and buried his face in his hands, his ears even redder, now, than they had been. Both adults were amused, however, and Natasha rested her hand on the back of the boy's head.

"Is there something, specific, that you have in mind for this holiday?" T'Challa asked Natasha, knowing she would be in on any security planning for any events. "Any concerns that I should be aware of?"

"We don't have anything set in stone, yet," Natasha admitted. No sense making plans if Shuri had other commitments, after all. "But it will, most likely, mean dinner at a semi-fancy restaurant – and not here, at the compound."

"A really fancy restaurant," Peter corrected, his face finally cooled enough to allow him to look up at T'Challa. "Someplace nice."

T'Challa nodded. That was a concern, but not too much of one, really. He was leery about letting his sister away from the protections of the compound, but if she were to go with anyone, Peter (and presumably Tony) would be good choices as far as those who could keep her safe on such an outing.

"I will allow it," he replied, looking at Peter – and at Natasha. Then he smirked. "Presuming she is interested… I will not force her to do something against her will."

Peter's smile was amused – and a little relieved, of course.

"I'll try to talk her into it in the next week."

The young king was also amused.

"You do that." He looked to his side, and Peter decided that someone had entered the room he was in. "I must go," he told them. "Natasha? I will leave the planning up to you and Okoye. Just let me know if there is something I need to do."

"I'll take care of it, T'Challa."

"Have a good day," Peter added. "Thanks."

The call ended, and Peter leaned back, feeling cheerful – and even more so when Natasha put her arms around him from behind.

"You'd better talk to your mom and dad," she said.

"Yeah." He smiled. "What are you and Stephen doing for Valentine's Day?"

"No clue. I'm letting him decide."

"You've discussed it?"

"Nope. If he does something special, then that will be fine. If he's not interested in making a big deal out of it, then I'll go along with that, too."

"But… then you don't get to dress up."

She pressed a kiss against his cheek and released him, ruffling his hair as she did.

"There is that," she agreed. "We'll see what happens. Where's your cat?" she asked as Steve walked over, too.

"He's still asleep."

He was when Peter had left his quarters, anyway. Who knew what mayhem and havoc he was wreaking now? Peter rubbed Jack's ears when the young lab put his head in the boy's lap.

"Are you sparring, today?"

"Nat's going to take Bucky on," Steve said, looking pleased.

Romanoff had still been somewhat reserved around their newest semi-permanent resident of the compound, and while she wasn't hostile or even stiffly formal with Barnes, she'd been careful not to put herself into any situation where the two of them might end up crossing the very fragile line that the two had between them. The fact that they were going to spar was a step in a new direction, and Peter understood why Steve looked so happy about it.

"Can I watch?"

"Shouldn't you be calling Shuri and talking her into letting you strip naked and spank her?"

Steve's eyes widened, but Peter snorted in laughter – although he felt his ears warm up, once more.

"She's on a visit to the Water tribe," he replied. "She won't be back until tomorrow."

"Then you're welcomed to come along."

Peter hadn't been allowed to spar with Bucky, yet. Not because Tony (or Natasha) were worried about whether they could trust Barnes squaring off against the boy, but because Tony had wanted to see just how much finesse the man had with the metal arm. He worried about an errant swing – or a distraction on Peter's part – causing a connection between that very dangerous appendage and his son's face, in particular. Barnes understood, and so did Peter, but he was looking forward to trying him, some day.

Until then, he'd observe and see what he could learn from Bucky that he hadn't already learned from his other instructors.

OOOOOOOOO

"I love Saturdays…"

Pepper smiled, sifting her fingers through Tony's hair.

"Because you get to sleep in?" she guessed.

The fact that it was after 7am and the two were still lounging in bed was a prime example of that. She had just woken, and he'd been awake for a while, but with nothing on either schedule that was pressing, and well aware that Peter was safe and sound no matter what he was up to – as long as it was in the compound – it was a chance for the two of them to spend a little time just lazing about.

"No," he said, catching her hand and brushing a kiss against the palm before simply tucking it under his arm. "Because you get to sleep in."

"Oh."

That made her smile, too.

"That's nice."

"Right?" He smirked. "Your son just had a very interesting conversation with the King of Wakanda…" he added.

"Oh? You were eavesdropping?"

"He was in the lounge," Tony told her. "And talking to T'Challa, not Shuri."

"Uh huh."

"Besides, it was Friday who was listening in, not me."

Pepper didn't bother to argue semantics. And she knew that Peter wouldn't be offended by the man knowing that he'd been talking to T'Challa. Or, most likely, what had been said.

"What was the conversation about?"

"Valentine's Day."

"What about it?"

"Peter wanted to ask T'Challa if the Wakandans celebrate it, and if they do, how they celebrated it."

"And do they?"

Tony smiled.

"No. T'Challa asked him if we just make up holidays to plug up the empty days where nothing's going on."

Pepper chuckled at that.

"I wonder why he didn't ask Shuri…"

"Probably so he could surprise her with whatever it is Wakandan boys do for their girlfriends on Valentine's Day. Since they don't celebrate, however, that means that he ended up asking if Shuri could come here so they could do something – dinner at a fancy restaurant was what was discussed."

"That sounds nice. What did T'Challa say?"

"He's good with it and will leave it to Natasha and Okoye to sort out."

"Good." She leaned into him, slightly. "So I assume we're going to go with them?"

"That would be my assumption, as well."

"Good. Then I'm going to go shopping."

It was always nice to have an excuse to buy a new dress, after all.