"Maybe you should have had a corndog?"

Peter rolled his eyes, ignoring Tony's amused snort at Rocket's suggestion.

"Cute."

The racoon's expressive face was amused, and Groot made a noise that was obviously a chuckle.

"I am groot?"

Peter just shook his head.

"What did he say?" Pepper asked Rocket.

"Asked if they made burgers on a stick."

Peter had wanted something more substantial than soup or other invalid fare. He was in the lounge, after all, and not in his bed. So when the server had asked, he had requested a burger with fries. And had valiantly tried to eat it with one hand, struggling in vain to keep his tomatoes from slipping out the other end of the bun and losing everything and not just the tomatoes in the process.

"Don't listen to them, son," Tony told him – also clearly amused by the mess that was on Peter's plate. "You're doing fine."

"If the goal was a juxtaposition of various dressings, vegetables and meat smeared on a plate…" came Stephen's wry observation – making them all look up. "Then, yes, he's doing smashing."

The doctor had entered the room without any of them noticing (even Peter, who was distracted by his efforts) and even more, he wasn't alone. Shuri was with him, dressed in her t-shirt and jeans and holding Tony's piglet – who was wearing a sweater that Peter hadn't seen before.

Tony smiled, standing up.

"Hey! There's my boy."

He went over and brushed a kiss against Shuri's cheek as he reached for Ironpig, taking him from her arms in a smooth motion while Stephen pulled a chair out for the princess.

"I thought I was his boy…?" Peter muttered to Pepper.

"You're his boy that doesn't smell like bacon," she assured him, smirking.

She brushed her fingers through his hair, so happy to have him in one piece and where she could touch him.

"Don't you listen to her, little man," Tony said, making a show of holding his hand over the piglet's ears. "You don't smell like bacon. Daddy would never eat you."

"You do remember that those little kids gave him to me, right?" the boy reminded Tony. "Technically, I'm his daddy. You're grandpa."

"You tried giving him away…" Tony pointed out, winking at Pepper and then turning his attention back to his piglet.

Peter rolled his eyes, and then smiled at Shuri, who was watching him, intently.

"How do you feel?" she asked without preamble.

"I'm okay."

"Should he be out of bed so soon?" she asked Strange. "It has only been a few days from the chamber."

"He's fine," she was assured. "We're keeping a close eye on him."

"We have some strategically placed chairs in the corridors, right now," Tony told her, still crooning to the pig. "If he gets tired, he can sit down anywhere, now."

"I'm fine," Peter said, giving up on the burger and wondering if he could talk Tony into taking him down the road for a corndog. "Is that a new sweater?" he asked, changing the subject and gesturing to the piglet.

He was already on the outs with MJ for making her worry about him, the last thing he wanted was for Shuri to get tired of it, too.

She smiled.

"Mother made it for him. I do not think she wanted to let Tony have him back. She suggested that he would not notice if she substituted a different piglet for his."

Tony pretended to be scandalized.

"Think she'd notice if we sent Rocket home to her and kept you?"

The girl smiled at the racoon, still amazed at what she was seeing when she looked at him, but over the shock enough that she was able to tease.

"I think she would prefer it, sometimes."

"I am groot."

Peter snorted, and he and Groot both snickered. Rocket rolled his eyes.

"Well?" Pepper asked. "Do I even want to know?"

The racoon shook his head.

"He's young," Rocket said, giving Groot a sidelong glance that only made Peter and the tree laugh. "And he thinks he's funny. He said she wouldn't notice the difference because I already act like a princess."

He wasn't even annoyed at being the butt of the joke. Groot was his friend – more than that, even – and he had to admit (only to himself) that he rather liked these people that they'd found themselves involved with. The Avengers seemed to be good people – although they were as varied as the guardians, themselves were – and even better, they had access to some serious hardware.

Rocket loved that.

"You are welcomed to come for a visit, sometime," Shuri told the racoon – and the tree. Then she turned her attention back to Peter. "Mother sends her love and a formal thank you for what you did for Wakanda. When you have a chance, she would like you to come visit."

"She could have come with you," Tony pointed out. "She knows that, right? That she's welcome here?"

Shuri smiled.

"She does not like the portal – and is not fond of flying."

"Let her know that we'll come out for a visit as soon as we can," Pepper told her. "How long are you staying?"

The young princess rolled her eyes, this time.

"My brother says I must not wear out my welcome and to tell you that you may toss me back through the portal whenever you are tired of listening to me prattle." She smiled at Tony's amusement at the phrasing. "Princesses do not prattle, for the record. We elucidate."

"You're welcome to stick around and elucidate as much as you'd like," Stark assured her.

She'd be good company for Peter since they didn't dare allow Ned out, just yet; he wasn't a restful visitor – and MJ was probably going to be a topic for a later discussion, but not someone that he'd want at the compound, just then. Only because they needed to keep Peter positive – to help him through the injury – and constantly worrying about his relationship status with the girl wasn't going to create the relaxing atmosphere that Tony wanted for his son at that moment.

Shuri smiled.

"Thank you." She turned to the mess on Peter's plate. "Is that your lunch?"

"It's the remains of it, yes."

"We were discussing the merits of burgers on a stick when you guys walked in," Rocket told her.

The girl's expression brightened, and she looked at Peter.

"Is that a thing?"

He shook his head.

"No. But I think I'm better off with a corndog, or something, just now."

"We could probably do better than that," Pepper assured him. "You're doing fine, though; it will just take a little practice and some patience."

"Hopefully by the time you're good at it, we'll have you out of the sling," Strange told him. "I'm going to want my stone back, after all."

"I can give it back to you, now," Peter replied, realizing that all the stones were still inside the polymorph. Alec confirmed it. "Where did the polymorph end up?"

"In the safe in our quarters," Tony said. He frowned, though. "Maybe you should wait to expose yourself to that much power until you're feeling a little better…"

"Vision's still out of commission, though, right?" Peter asked, feeling guilty.

He should have offered, sooner. Wanda had to be so worried.

"It will need to wait until your hand is out of the sling and the bandages," Shuri told him.

"I can handle them. If I only pull one out at a time."

Shuri smiled, her hand covering his good one for a moment.

"I do not doubt that. However, the polymorph is attuned to your right hand. And only your right hand. It will not open for you if you try to use your left."

"Oh."

"Vision is fine where he is," Tony told his son. "And Wanda is in the workroom with him, wearing the Rescue helmet so they can communicate. It's not ideal, but she says they're comfortable, for now. The stones can wait until you're healthier."

"I agree," Stephen told him.

"What are you going to do with the rest of them?" Rocket asked, curiously. "You're sitting on the most powerful things in the universe, after all. You really want to give that up?'

Peter hadn't had a chance to think about it, but he didn't need to, really.

"They aren't mine to keep," he told Rocket – and the others. "Vision needs the mind stone, and the time stone is Stephen's."

"To guard, not to keep," Strange interjected.

"Right. The others need to be returned where I found them. That much power shouldn't be in one place."

It would definitely be too tempting. Not to mention, it would put a giant target on the compound if someone like Thanos ever decided to make a play for them.

He looked over at Stephen, who nodded his agreement.

"Too true. But I can wait until your hand is well enough to manage the polymorph." He changed the subject. "Finish your lunch. Then I want you back in your bed for a while."

"I haven't been up that long."

"Long enough. Believe me."

"But-"

"Just do what I say, Peter," he told the boy, more amused than annoyed. "You'll thank me when you're not dragging tonight."

Peter scowled, but he didn't argue. He looked at Tony, who was making faces at Ironpig, but still listening in on the conversation.

"Too much to hope that you'll take me to get a corndog?"

"Too far to take you without your doctor signing off on it," Tony told him, glancing at Strange, who shook his head.

"Not a chance. I'll walk you back to your room."

And by the time they arrived, there would be a small stack of corndogs waiting for Peter. The boy shrugged, looking at Shuri and the others.

"Guess I'm going back to bed for a while."

He was sore and tired, so his protest was really more for appearances than anything. And because Tony would have – and he spent a lot of time with him.

"We'll be in to check on you in a few minutes," Pepper told him.

"Okay."

He and Strange left, and the others watched.

"He's really alright?" Rocket asked.

"He isn't, yet," Tony said. "But he will be. If we can keep him from overdoing things before he's ready."

"You have had plenty of experience with that," Shuri said.

"True."