"Are we worried about him sleepwalking?"

Tony shook his head.

"He's only done it a couple of times since Alec downloaded into his mind. I'm more worried about Pepper, to tell the truth."

Natasha was the only person besides Tony and Peter who knew about Pepper's attempt to keep her son safe by driving him to the farm that she grew up on, still owned by her, even though her folks were long passed. The only problem with the plan had been that Pepper had been sleepwalking at the time. Even Pepper didn't know about it, since Tony hadn't wanted to worry her into making it a repeat situation.

"Yes, I can see why." Romanoff hesitated. "We can't sleep with him every night for the next unforeseeable future," she said – even though if she thought it would keep him safe that was exactly what she'd do. "I'll leave my door open for him, if he comes to me, but this is one of those gray areas where it's really going to depend on him, I think."

Tony nodded his agreement, and looked over at Pepper, who was chatting with Rocket and Mantis as casually as if she wasn't talking to a racoon and a woman with antenna.

"I'm about ready to call it a night. We'll stop by and check on him before we go to bed. Do the same, will you? Let me know what you think we need to do?"

"Yes. Of course."

The guardians had all been given VIP rooms, and there were SHIELD trainees who were now stationed outside the corridor to those quarters – in case they needed anything, not as guards – and then they'd simply been asked not to break anything. They weren't completely allies, yet, but they definitely weren't prisoners.

Tony walked back over, standing behind Pepper's chair and wrapping his arms around her from behind so he could rest his chin on the top of her head.

"I'm going to bed."

She smiled, reaching up to brush her fingers against his jaw.

"I'll come with you, since I can't convince Rocket to let me rub his furry belly."

If a racoon could blush, Rocket would have. As it was, Groot made an amused laughing noise from his position beside the racoon and Mantis smiled at the emotions coming from her companions. She had never seen someone flirt with Rocket – and had never felt him react to anyone with the cheerfulness that he had with Pepper. Groot being the lone person who ever made him really feel happy at times.

"If I let you," Rocket said, shrugging and affecting nonchalance. "Then I gotta let everyone. Next thing you know, I'm running around bald."

Pepper chuckled and got up.

"I'll see you guys in the morning."

The others around the table added in their own goodnights, and Tony and Pepper walked out of the room, holding hands. Without discussing it, they both turned and headed for Peter's rooms.

"Friday?" Tony asked, aware that out in the corridors his AI could hear him just fine. "Is Peter asleep?"

"Karen says he's on the couch with the kitten."

Which told them that they weren't going to wake him, or interrupt a shower or bath or something. Sure enough when they reached his rooms and knocked, Peter's voice was close at hand when he told them to come in. The boy smiled up at them, despite Nutmeg sitting on his neck, little paws kneading his cheeks and purring as loud as the Quinjet engines.

They walked over to the couch, and Pepper scooped the kitten up into her arms, tucking him belly up and rubbing his belly, lightly, which elicited more purring and a slightly glazed expression on the kitten's face.

"We're going to bed," she said, before Tony could. "Do you need anything?"

Peter smiled, but shook his head. He wondered if normal parents of normal sixteen-year-olds did that; checking in every night before going to bed, just in case there was something that the kid needed. He'd have to ask MJ, sometime – or Ned, even.

"Normal parents of teenagers probably have to do a bed check to make sure their kids haven't been sneaking out of the house to go to parties, or out getting in trouble," Alec pointed out. "They don't have that concern with you."

"Because trouble comes to me and saves me the hassle of going to look for it."

"There is that," the alien sorcerer agreed, amused.

"No," he replied, aloud, also amused, despite the fact that they both knew it was true. "I talked to Shuri for a while and was just trying to settle Nutmeg so I can go to bed without having to worry about him chewing my face off in the middle of the night."

"But it's such a handsome face," Pepper said, her eyes going from the kitten to him, and then back to the kitten – where she suddenly started baby-talking. "Isn't it, Nutmeg? We would totally nibble on it all night if not for anti-cannibalism laws…"

Peter blushed at the compliment and shook his head at the context, looking at Tony, who shrugged with a what can you do? look for his son.

"You told Shuri what's going on?" Tony asked.

"No. Not really." His phone was as secure as any, due to Karen being integrated with it, as well as the rest of his electronics – and Shuri's was as high-tech as his. But still… "I didn't know if you'd want me to do that over the phone, so I just told her what we were going to want to talk to her about, so that she would have an idea of what to bring with them."

"Them?" Pepper asked.

"T'Challa's coming. And Okoye, naturally."

"Naturally."

"You know what would be interesting?" Tony said, reaching over and taking Nutmeg from Pepper and pressing his face into the kitten's furry belly. "Getting Gamora, Okoye and Romanoff all in the same ring and having them face off. I'd pay money for that."

"If you even mention it, I'm going to pack up my son and his kitten – and your pig – and leave you," Pepper told him, shaking her head.

"It was just a thought," the billionaire said, smiling, innocently.

"And a bad one. What time are they coming tomorrow, sweetheart?"

"After breakfast. T'Challa has already spoken to Stephen. They'll be ready around nine – our time."

"Then we'd better let you get some sleep," Tony said, handing him back his kitten. His expression turned a little more serious. "Are you alright?"

Which Peter knew meant did he need them to stay with him. His own expression softened as he felt that love that he had for them bubble up warm and comfortingly inside him, threatening to make his heart explode with happiness like it did every time they did something to remind him how much they cared about him. Even when it was something little, like that. They'd have plopped right down beside him and stayed with him all night if he needed them to – and he knew it.

Which was why he didn't need them to, just then.

"I'm fine, dad," he said, honestly. "Thanks."

Pepper leaned over the back of the couch and hugged him, kitten and all, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

"We love you."

Peter smiled, bringing his arm around her as well as he could with kitten and the awkward angle.

"I love you, too."

Tony hugged him, too.

"If you need anything, have Karen call Friday."

"I will. I'll see you in the morning."

"Don't stay up too late," Pepper told him.

"Yeah. I won't. Goodnight."

They left, closing the door behind them, and Peter leaned back into the soft leather of the sofa he was sitting on and closed his eyes, returning Nutmeg to a spot on his chest so he could pet the kitten and keep him calm.

"Karen? Where's Natasha?"

"In the lounge."

"Thanks."

"She'll probably come check on you, too," Alec said. "Before she goes to bed."

"Yeah, I know." And she might join him, if she was too concerned about him. Or if she thought he needed the reassurance that always came in her arms. "She's like that."

"Amazing?"

"Yeah." The boy opened his eyes and tightened his hold on the kitten so he could stand up without worrying about dumping him. "I'm going to bed."

He was going to need to be at his best, the next day, if he was going to be working with Shuri. She was brilliant, after all, and he didn't want to look like an idiot in front of her.

"Everyone looks like an idiot, compared to her," Alec pointed out. He was clearly impressed by the girl, and didn't bother to hide it.

"Except Tony," Peter added, loyally.

"Well, yeah. That's a given."

Smiling; pleased that even someone as powerful as Alec was – and had been – was impressed by Tony, Peter headed for his bedroom to get ready for bed.