There was a lot of traffic in the city. Even more than usual, since so many people were in for the parade and the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. It didn't matter to Carol, though, and with a competence that Peter hoped to have some day she drove them through the busy streets and then out onto the northbound highway toward the compound.
"Did you do thanksgiving when you were in space?" Peter asked her, curiously – although he was pretty sure he knew the answer.
She shook her head, glancing at his reflection in the rearview mirror before turning her attention back to the road and the traffic.
"No. I didn't have a lot of them before that, either, really, so I'm looking forward to today."
"One of the reasons you wanted to be the one to drive us to the parade?" Steve asked, smiling.
"Everyone loves a good parade."
"True enough."
"Are you coming to the farm, tomorrow?"
It was Steve who shook his head, even though Peter had been asking Carol. He already knew that Steve wasn't planning on it – although he'd already requested that recordings be made of the pumpkin chucking.
"She wants to enjoy another holiday tradition that she didn't get to do in space," he told the boy, smiling.
"What?"
"Shopping."
Peter looked at the reflection in the mirror and Danvers smirked – and nodded.
"He's right. Natasha and I are going shopping."
Peter knew from experience that Natasha liked to shop.
"Is Pepper going, too?"
He hadn't heard anything about that but knew that Black Friday was a big shopping day. Peter had accompanied May more than once – if for no other reason than to carry bags for her. Other times he and Ned had been kept from the shopping trips with Ned's mom and May, but his friend had pointed out, sagely, that those were probably times when the women were buying presents for them, and wouldn't want to see what they got, yet.
Another smirk.
"Pepper's going to the farm," Carol told Peter. "To make sure that Tony doesn't get too competitive with the whole pumpkin throwing thing."
"Chucking," Steve corrected.
Peter started to say something in response, but his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and smiled.
"It's Ned." He answered. "Hey, Ned."
"That was awesome!"
Steve wasn't the only one to smile, since Ned had yelled loud enough for all three of them (and probably every cow in the field they were driving by) to hear him.
"The parade?"
"Yeah. And the interview. That was so cool. You looked so awesome standing up on the float with Steve and all – and then the interview, with him all 'I'm Captain America and this is Peter my best buddy'…"
"He didn't say that."
"No, but he totally did. I can't wait to see everyone at school Monday. That interview is going to make Flash so jealous."
"I doubt it." Peter smiled, though. "It was only 20 seconds long, I think."
"But fun?"
"Yeah."
"Next year I'm going to come, too," Ned told him. "If you go again, that is."
"It'll be great."
"Who's coming to get me, tomorrow?" his friend asked, eagerly. "Mr. Stark?"
"I'm not sure…"
"It'll be me, I think," Steve told him, proving that he was listening in on the conversation. Not difficult to do since the interior of the car was small and quiet enough that even though the call wasn't on speaker, there was no problem hearing both sides of the discussion. "Pepper asked if I minded, a few days ago."
"Great. Is Carol coming?"
"She's going shopping," Peter told him before Carol could. "With Natasha."
"Maybe I'll go shopping, too," Ned said – and Peter could tell that he was only joking, but maybe not completely. "Offer my services to carry the bags and give my opinion on anything they might want to try on…"
"And miss chucking pumpkins with Ironman?" Steve asked loud enough for Ned to hear.
"Maybe not."
The rest of the trip back to the compound Peter chatted with Ned. Mostly about the parade and all the celebrities that had been on the floats. Ned asked Peter if he'd seen any of them or talked to them, but Peter had pointed out that he'd stayed on his float and had only seen the people on it. When the car pulled off the highway and onto the service road that led to the compound, though, he ended the call, telling Ned that he'd see him in the morning and to tell his mom happy thanksgiving.
OOOOOOOO
By the time Peter walked into the lounge, now wearing just jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, the place smelled amazing. Turkey and potatoes, for sure; maybe dressing or something with onions and savory spices and another something that definitely had apples. He took a deep, appreciative, breath, and then looked around the room. One table had a bonanza of finger foods laid out on it, with chips, cheese, cracker, and sliced vegetables and meats of all kinds, and there was another table that had a few different kinds of pies and cakes and even fudge, he noticed. There was a corner of the room with actual sofas and he decided that there might have been some magic involved in the placing of them since they were big and bulky and he couldn't remember ever seeing any that looked like those.
Before he could see what the people sitting on the sofas were watching – and he had a very brief glance of what might have been football – he was engulfed in the happy and very enthusiastic greeting of the cloak. He grinned as the ancient relic wrapped itself around him and was forced to stop long enough to wait until it settled enough for him to see where he was going. Then he was able to walk over to the corner and greet everyone and saw that, yes, they were watching football.
"Hey!" Tony's greeting was cheerful, but he didn't get up to come rescue him from the cloak – if he even could have. The billionaire was on the sofa with his feet up on the coffee table in front of it, a glass of something warm in one hand and Ironpig tucked into his lap and under the other. "You looked like you were having a good time."
"I was," Peter assured him, smiling at Pepper, who did get up long enough to brush a kiss against his cheek. "It was fun."
She reclaimed her place next to Tony, but there were plenty of other people who greeted him – and Carol and Steve when they walked into the room only a moment later. Nick was also on the sofa, leaning back, comfortably, and scratching Nutmeg's ears while the kitten purred himself to sleep.
"Are you hungry?" Natasha asked from one of the tables close at hand where she and Wong were playing cribbage.
"Yeah." He walked over and sat down next to Stephen, who was watching, rather than playing with them. "They won't let you play?"
The sorcerer supreme smiled, amused.
"I'm waiting for you," he told the boy. "Tony's AI told him you were pulling in and I thought I'd challenge you to a chess match. Interested?"
"Sure."
"No wagering," Natasha told them, not even looking up from her cards.
"Bet Wong," Tony said from the sofa, smiling at Steve and Carol when they came in and sat on the other sofa with Bruce, who looked like he was actually thinking about taking a nap before dinner. "It wouldn't be the first time."
The other magician frowned, looking up from his pegs.
"What?"
"Nothing," Strange said, a chessboard appearing on the table. "He's kidding."
Stark smirked, and Stephen winked at Peter.
"Before we get too distracted," Pepper said. "I want to make sure I know who's picking up Ned and MJ."
She looked at Steve and he nodded.
"I'm getting them. We already told Ned."
"I'll call MJ's parents sometime this afternoon and let them know, too."
"When does Shuri come?" Stephen asked.
A good thing for him to know, since he was making the portal.
"Tomorrow morning, bright and early."
"How early?" Wong asked.
"Six."
"When are you going shopping?" Bruce asked Carol, opening his eyes.
"Around four."
"AM?" Peter asked, surprised.
"Early bird gets the best sale," Natasha told him with a smirk.
"Are you going?" the boy asked Stephen, putting his black pawn out in response to Strange's first move.
"I'm going to go with you to the farm."
"Cool."
He shrugged, glancing at his girlfriend.
"It sounds more interesting than battling crowds for something I can buy next week without the fear of being trampled."
Romanoff snorted, amused.
"We'd take you to see Santa…"
He rolled his eyes, but now it was Peter who snorted.
"I'd pay to see that picture," he told her.
"Not this year."
"Not in your lifetime," Strange assured them all, pulling out his knight. "Or anyone's lifetime."
"Aww."