Tony went to the lounge to get their meal.
For one thing, the commissary was still being repaired after some heavy battling between SHIELD forces and two of the armored ape-looking things, and the menu was as limited just then as the lounge normally carried. For another – and more important to Stark – the lounge was the center of the informal information hub for the compound. Everyone would want to know how Peter was doing, and they couldn't all come visit him. Tony could spread the word on his progress by going to the lounge.
Sure enough, the moment he walked into the room only minutes after leaving his son's quarters, Fury and Clint were both next to him at the bar as he was finishing a request with the bartender for some simple sandwiches.
"How is he, Tony?" Nick asked.
"Stephen had us walk him to his rooms. He's in bed, there, and we have orders to get him on his feet tomorrow."
Nick wasn't the only one to frown.
"Already?"
"He says it's safe. Peter's in good shape, all things considered; the biggest concern is his arm and hand – and they say it looks good, really."
"Strange wouldn't let Peter out of the medlab unless it was safe," Clint said.
He didn't like the idea of Peter being out from under the immediate care of the doctors – not when he was only a couple of days from the chamber – but he also knew that the boy's health was always at the top of the doctor's priorities. Not because Strange was Natasha's boyfriend and Peter was her favorite Avenger, either.
Tony nodded his agreement.
"Peter handled the transition just fine. He's tired, weak and probably hurts more than he's letting on, but we've brought him through injuries before, and we'll do it this time, too."
"The least we can do for the guy who saved the universe, right?" Nick asked, even though he knew that Peter's role in things was going to be well concealed by them.
The Avengers knew what he'd done, though, as did many of the others. The general public would be kept in the dark, however. They'd only needed to discuss that for about ten minutes – and no one had even seriously considered allowing a connection between the brilliant light that not only destroyed every alien invader but also seems to have blanket healed the entire planet to the teenager.
They couldn't control the internet, completely, of course, but there weren't many images or recordings of what had happened on the rooftop – and Friday had control of all of them. Rumors were flying across the globe, even in the face of the official statement that Tony had made from the corridor outside of Peter's medical room.
An alien force, with the intent of destroying all life on earth and taking control of her resources, was stopped before they could reach New York – and before another force had managed to land outside Beijing. Two other craft were destroyed before they even managed to bring their armies to bear, so we have no comment on what their intended targets were. In regards to the light that was observed crossing the planet, all we can say is that it was alien in nature and is believed to have possessed some element that sent a wave of suddenly healed people in its wake.
He'd left it at that, allowing the world to make their own conclusion – which they would have anyway.
"Only half of the universe," Tony told them with a slight smile. "The other half wasn't in any danger."
Clint snorted, glad to see that Stark didn't seem too concerned. If he wasn't, then no one was hedging on Peter's potential for recovering.
"We can go check on him?"
"Not tonight," Tony told them. "But I expect by tomorrow he'll be bored being stuck under whatever restriction his condition – and Stephen – place on him. Just watch his hand, okay? And no wrestling while he's in the sling."
Clint nodded, but the meal that stark ordered arrived before he could reply.
"Steve and Carol will be back by dawn," Fury reported. "We'll start debriefings when they have a chance to get some rest."
"Sounds good. I'll keep apprised via Friday."
"And will add your own version to the official report."
"Yeah. Of course. Peter comes first, though."
"Of course."
Tony grabbed his bags of food.
"Tell him I'll see him, tomorrow," Clint said.
"Will do."
OOOOOOO
"He didn't make it, huh?"
Pepper smiled and looked up at Tony's entrance.
"He tried, but no. He said to wake him when you returned.
They both looked at the boy who was cuddled against her leg, injured hand tucked carefully in the sling against his chest and stomach between them. The cloak was still on him, caressing his cheek, and Tony went to the other side of the bed, bag still in hand.
"What do you think, Pep? Wake him? Or let him sleep it off?"
She shrugged, her hand brushing Peter's forehead.
"He asked, specifically."
"Then we'll wake him."
It wasn't like he couldn't go right back to sleep when he was done eating, after all.
OOOOOOO
The knock at the door was answered, almost immediately, and Stephen smiled when he saw that it was Natasha on the other side. He stepped to the side to allow her to walk into his quarters at the compound, which looked a little more lived in, now, than they had when the rooms had initially been given to him. Of course, all he needed to do was think about what he wanted and it was there, so it was pretty easy to do.
"Hey, handsome, looking for a good time?"
He smirked, amused at the teasing tone and the ages old line coming from the deadly woman's lips, and closed the door behind her.
"I'm too tired for a good time, right now," he admitted. "How about a lazy, quiet night – provided my patient doesn't have an unexpected setback?"
"Is that a possibility?" she asked, catching his hand and walking him over to the sofa, pulling him down beside her.
"I would never say never," the doctor told her, sighing when she began to rub his shoulders, which were tense. "But I will stand behind unexpected."
"How did the hand look?" she asked, allowing her concern for Peter to sound off in her worried tone. "Any better?"
"It looks good," he replied. "The nanotech is doing exactly what Shuri wanted it to accomplish. The wounds are healing extremely well – between the tech and his own healing capabilities, I expect a full recovery, with no loss of range of motion in the hand."
"And no fever?"
She knew that he wouldn't have allowed the cloak to stick around with Peter if there was any chance of it aggravating a pre-existing fever.
"No. He looks good, Natasha. Really. You can visit him in the morning."
"Is he restricted to bed?"
"I'd rather he didn't overdo it, but no. Moving around won't hurt him – as long as we don't allow him to injure that hand or do anything too foolish."
The assassin smiled and looked at the hand that she was holding.
"And your hands?"
Strange shook his head, looking down at the hand, as well.
"They're fine. As good as they ever were, really. My own little miracle."
She smiled at the wonder in his expression – and his tone – despite the way he tried to make it sound as if weren't that big a deal. She knew it was. Natasha brought the hand up to kiss the palm.
"Going to give up being a magician and back to brain surgery full-time, now?"
He snorted, softly; he'd already realized that that was a real possibility, although it was an idea that he'd dismissed, immediately.
"Magic is more interesting," he told her. "As are the people I've met."
Which made her smile and pull him into her arms. He was tired, and she was in the mood to cuddle. She'd let Tony and Pepper have Peter for the rest of the night, and would spend some time with him, the next day, leaving her free to spend a little time with Stephen while he was at the compound.