"How come Shuri gets to sleep on a roll-out bed and I have to sleep in my room?"

Tony rolled his eyes, glancing at Pepper, who smiled at the question – and the look of exasperation on her husband's face, just then.

"Because she's the guest," she told the boy, deciding it was the best argument she could make, just then. "When they're gone, if you want to try it out, you can the next time Ned is over for the night."

"Oh." He smiled, too. "Okay."

While they'd all been engaged in various activities in the game room, SHIELD had taken care of bringing in several roll out beds. These were simply foldable beds that came on wheeled frames that had been placed in the living room, the dining room, and after a quick discussion with T'Chaka and Ramonda, one was put into the guest room so their daughter would be close at hand.

Not because they were worried that she was planning on sneaking out or something (Jarvis was plenty of guard against that – even if the girl wasn't exactly where she wanted to be, really) but because Ramonda wanted her nearby. Because she'd missed her. After playing foosball, Giant Jenga, pinball, and checkers with Peter, T'Challa had declared that he was looking forward to sleeping in Peter's room on his bottom bunk rather than on one of the roll-outs. Okoye had disdained the need for her to have one of the beds, but her security team would undoubtedly alternate between sleeping on them and standing guard in various areas throughout the estate – as would SHIELD agents.

Natasha was staying over, acting as liaison for them, but Steve was going to head to the hotel to perform the same role with that group. Nick was going back to the compound he told them as the evening waned and it started getting late, but he would be back first thing.

"Definitely in time for breakfast," he assured them all.

When he'd mentioned the compound, Peter's eyes had lit up.

"Could we go there?" he asked Nick, hopefully. "So Shuri can see it?"

The director of SHIELD wasn't immune to those big, brown, eyes. True, he was used to Peter's – although he didn't really have an answer for them when the boy wanted something so badly that he looked so hopeful.

He looked at the others, more than willing to pass that request off to someone else but the compound was SHIELD and Avenger territory and that made the decision Nick's. He turned to T'Chaka.

"When are you heading out, tomorrow?"

"There is no set time." His expression was somewhat amused. "The pilots say they do not need a particular turn around time to rest, but since I am to be a passenger, I would prefer they were refreshed and had as much time as needed."

It would also give him a chance to learn as much as possible about

"Are you against the idea of a side trip to the Avenger's compound?"

The king didn't look like he was all that interested in the idea, but he glanced at his daughter who was watching, hopefully, and it made him look at Ramonda.

"What do you think?"

Torn between rewarding the girl for her recklessness and being well aware that she might never have the chance, again, Ramonda had shrugged.

"I think it would be good for her to see. And it is something that I would like to see, as well." She turned to T'Challa. "You?"

Trying to act as if it held little interest, the young prince had also shrugged.

"If you and the others are going, it would not be a bad idea for us to learn more about them."

Shuri gasped, happily, but hadn't said anything, looking up at her father, again. T'Chaka nodded.

"I would be interested in seeing the Avenger compound," he'd said. "For a short visit."

Shuri bounced, unable to hold still, and Nick hadn't been the only one to smile at that sheer exuberance.

"I'll set it up," he'd promised. He'd turned to Stark. "Are you planning on coming, as well?"

"Of course."

"We shoot for after breakfast, then." Nick had then turned to T'Chaka. "Do you need anything, your majesty?"

"We are fine."

"Then I'm going to head out." He gave a very casual bow but his smile toward Ramonda was sincere. "I'll see you all at breakfast."

Nick had left, but very few of the SHIELD folks had left with him, and Tony pointed out that it was getting late and if he was going to take little kids to the compound the next day, they were going to have to go get ready for bed, because he was going to make the people at the compound deal with grumpy people. Shuri had looked like she was going to say that she wasn't tired, but Ramonda had cut that off, immediately, telling the girl to show her where they were going to be sleeping.

"You don't have to sleep in Peter's room if you don't want to," Stark had told T'Challa when the boy had headed for his bedroom to change into pajamas. "We could put another bed in here and give you a little privacy."

The young man had had a chance to become more familiar – and comfortable – with the boy, by then, and he'd simply shaken his head.

"I am fine in his room. Perhaps I will ask him to tell me all he knows about the Avengers and Ironman," he'd added.

It had been Pepper who had smiled.

"Don't do it," she'd warned. "He'll talk your ear off and you'll be awake all night."

"I will take that under advisement," he'd assured them. "Thank you."

Tony had also asked Romanoff to pass word to the Wakandan security people to not be too surprised if Peter roamed the house in the middle of the night. She'd simply nodded, and had excused herself to talk to Okoye about the fact that the boy rarely slept through the night and wasn't confined to his room when he woke.

"Well?" Tony said, smiling at his wife once they were alone. "We didn't do too bad. Got them all settled in and no diplomatic catastrophe."

"Not yet," Pepper had agreed.

"Whatever."

OOOOOOOOO

"Are you sure you don't want the top bunk?" Peter asked T'Challa somewhat later.

Everyone had gone to bed and the boy had been sitting on his top bunk when the prince had walked out of the bathroom, now wearing pajamas.

T'Challa shook his head. While Peter made it sound like the top bunk was by far the best, the top bunk was a smaller bed and looked less comfortable – not to mention the need to heave himself up onto the bed and then hope that he doesn't topple off in the middle of the night.

"I appreciate the offer," he replied. "But I am fine on this bunk. Thank you, though."

Peter nodded, laying himself flat on the bed on his belly, looking down at T'Challa.

"Are you really going to be a king?"

T'Challa smiled.

"I am. Some day. Hopefully it will not be for a very long time, however."

"Why?"

"Because my father is king, now," he said. "I cannot become king until he has passed."

"Passed what?"

A slight smile, despite the serious subject.

"Until he has passed away," T'Challa clarified. "When my father dies."

"Oh." Peter was quiet for a moment. "Why can't you be king before that?"

"Because there can only be one king."

"Oh."

"What are you going to do while you wait?"

"Learn from him. He is teaching me how to be a king when my time comes."

"Neat." Peter watched as T'Challa pulled back the covers, light though they were because it was summer, still, and the bedroom wasn't cold by any means. "Tony's teaching me how to be a superhero."

T'Challa looked up at him, interested.

"Are you going to be Ironman when he retires?"

"No. I don't have a name, yet. But it'll be a good one. Something cool."

"I imagine your superhero name will be dependent on what kind of skills you possess."

"Like walking up walls."

"Or flying," T'Challa agreed. "Yes. Or shooting laser beams from your eyes."

Peter smiled at that.

"I can't do that."

"That is a good thing," the young man told him. "Otherwise your room would be a disaster."

"True."

"Perhaps you should tell my sister that you would like your new Ironman suit to have lasers," he said, smiling to make sure the boy understood that he was only joking. "Then you could call yourself Laser Man, or something…"

"That's not a very good name," Peter said, looking apologetic at the comment, but truthful enough that he spoke his mind, usually. "She can't really make a suit, can she?"

"She is very intelligent," T'Challa said. "Her tutors say that she understands the technology they show her with very little difficulty or explanation. If she says she is going to make you a suit, then chances are she will do so – eventually. No promises that it will fit, though. She made me a shirt, once, when she was in her 'I must learn how to make clothing' stage and it was much too big."

"Wow."

"Tell me about living with Tony Stark," T'Challa said, ready to turn the subject to one that didn't involve his sister. He already knew about her, after all. "And abut whatever Avengers we may meet, tomorrow."

That would be helpful – and besides, T'Challa knew who the Avengers were and he was excited to meet more of them.

He was just really good at hiding it.