He was restless.

Worn out from the energy his body was using to heal the injuries to his hand and arm. His mind was trying to sort a million different things that had him worried, or that he thought that he needed to fix, or things that were just plain not going the way that he wanted them to go. Mainly, MJ and the fact that he was going to miss homecoming – and that even if he could go – and he knew he wasn't healthy enough but he wasn't ready to be reasonable, even with himself, just yet – he didn't have a date. All of these were keeping him from sleeping deeply – and that didn't even count the fact that his hand always hurt. Sometimes it hurt a lot, usually it was just a dull throb. Every now and then it itched, as well, which was probably a good sign, but was annoying.

"It's overwhelming, now," Alec agreed. "It'll seem better in a few days."

"It's never going to be better," Peter groused. "I'm the hero of this stupid story, and not only do I not get the girl, but I don't even get my happy ending."

Which would have included the dance – and maybe a kiss.

"You have a happy ending." Alec had been in Peter's head long enough, now, to understand him better than anyone. "You and countless others. You're just not ready to enjoy it, yet. Try to relax a little, Peter. Relax and sleep and give yourself a chance to get healthy. Then it won't look so bad."

"Stop being reasonable."

He wasn't ready for that with Alec, yet, either.

"Stop being a baby."

Peter retreated away from Alec and his stupid conversation, knowing full well that the ancient sorcerer stuck in his head was absolutely correct, but still sulking enough that he was able to ignore it. He turned his thoughts from everything that he had – and yes, he had so much that he knew later he'd feel ridiculous for griping – to the few things that he didn't.

And the one person that he wished he had back.

His mind went to the conversation that she and he had had in the park. The choice that he'd been forced to make and the joy that he'd felt to be with her again. And the renewed pain to have left her. It was the right choice, yes, but that didn't make it hurt any less to have made it. And he hadn't even had a chance to see his parents. Only her. Had that been intentional? Or an oversight on whoever – or whatever – it was that had brought May to him in the first place?

Had his parents even been there? Did they know that Peter had chosen his surrogate parents over them? That he'd chosen his friends rather than be with them? What would they think of him? Of the decision that he'd made? He should have asked them. Should have given them a chance to have some say in things. They-

"No." Alec was back in the forefront of his mind, now, and had clearly been following the train of thought. "They're fine with whatever you choose. They want you happy. Just like May did."

"I should have asked." Peter stirred, restlessly. "I need to ask. I need to go talk to them."

"Wait, Peter."

Alec's tone was alarmed, but Peter couldn't imagine why. It wasn't that big of a deal. He knew where they were. He'd known where they were for as long as he could remember.

His right hand was bandaged heavily, but the teleportation rock seemed to recognize that limitation, because it was his left hand that suddenly held the small walnut-sized rock. The voice in his head was different from Alec's; it was cheerful and carefree, always willing to help.

Where?

"I need to go talk to my folks." Peter told it.

"Peter. This isn't a good-"

Before Alec's argument was out, the boy was gone, taking his hesitant passenger along for the journey.

OOOOOOO

He'd been sleeping restlessly. So much so that while Pepper was pressed against his uninjured left side, now, Tony had been unwilling to get too close to the right, just in case he jarred against him when he shifted and hurt that damaged hand any more than it already was.

"It isn't fair…" Peter muttered, drawing Tony's attention and making him look over Peter's sleeping form to Pepper, who was also awake and trying to soothe their son. "I should have asked…"

He fell silent, then, and Pepper frowned, because the slight form beside her was tense.

"Should we wake him and make sure he's alright?"

"Yeah. It wouldn't hurt to-"

Before he could finish the sentence, they both saw Peter's left hand clench, and an instant later the boy was gone. Vanished completely from the spot between them. Nutmeg woke with a start, rolling onto his back with a undignified squeak.

"Shit."

Tony lurched to his feet to one side of the bed, and Pepper to the other, alarmed.

"Friday? Where is he?" Stark asked as he tapped his communication device, already calling Stephen for assistance.

"Searching."

"He's still on the planet?" Pepper asked, her eyes scared.

"He's at the graveyard," Friday reported through Karen's system.

Strange walked into the room, wearing sweats and a t-shirt and dress shoes, with the cloak draped on his collar, looking sleep-muzzled. Clearly, he'd been rousted out of his bed and had come without doing more than sliding his feet into the nearest pair of shoes. He heard the announcement and looked at Tony.

"Sleepwalking?"

"Go get him and bring him back," Pepper snapped, ordering the most powerful magician on the planet and her husband around without a thought. "Then we'll figure out how to keep him in the bed."

The two men didn't hesitate. Strange didn't even bother with a portal; he knew where Peter was and had been there several times. Had even collected Peter from there, before. A moment later, they were standing in the dark graveyard, the moon and a couple of safety lights all that illuminated the marble headstones – and the boy that was kneeling between them.

Tony stepped up, first, crouching down beside Peter, relieved that it was a mild evening, and not raining.

"What's going on, son?" he asked, gently, looking the boy over for any sign of panic, or additional injury.

"I just need to talk to them…"

"What's the atomic number for carbon?"

"Cheesecake."

So he was definitely sleepwalking. Tony brushed his hand along Peter's hair.

"How did you get here?"

He didn't see the infinity stones, but that was his biggest concern, just then. The energy from those stones would injure him, again, make his recovery take longer.

The boy held up his left hand and opened it, showing Tony and Stephen the teleportation stone.

"What are you talking to them about?" Stark asked, wondering if he could get some insight into what was going on in Peter's head. "What can we do?"

Peter's head went to the cool marble of his father's stone.

"I never had a chance to see them. To ask them."

"Ask them what, Peter?" Strange asked.

"If they're mad at me."

Tony frowned.

"Why would they be mad?"

Peter's eyes filled with tears, and he shook his head, choking up and unable to speak. The billionaire moved forward and pulled him carefully into his arms to hold him.

"I'm sorry…" Peter told him, brokenly.

"No need to be sorry," Stark assured him. "No one's mad at you."

He looked over Strange and nodded. The sorcerer stepped up and a moment later they were all back in the corridor outside Peter's room. Just to make sure that Pepper hadn't moved into the living room area. Tony guided his son carefully back into his quarters where they found Pepper holding Nutmeg, waiting for them.

"Is he alright?" she asked, immediately moving into the bedroom and pulling the blankets back so they could put him back in his bed. The other hand still holding Peter's kitten.

"He seems to be," Tony assured her.

"We'll put him to bed, and I'll swing by to check him in the morning," Strange said.

"So we don't tell him?" Tony asked.

"No. I don't think we need to."

The billionaire took the teleportation stone from Peter's willing fingers and looked at the other two.

"How do we keep this out of his hands to avoid a repeat?"

Before Strange could offer to take it back to the sanctum, Nutmeg suddenly mewled, shifted in Pepper's hold and as the three watched, the kitten's mouth opened, giant tentacles suddenly appeared and snatched the stone out of Tony's hand, easily, and swallowed it – along with the tentacles.

Pepper was so shocked that she didn't even drop the kitten, although Tony stepped forward and carefully pulled Nutmeg from her hands and sat him on the edge of the bed. Unconcerned, the kitten gave a soft burp and started cleaning his front paw.

"What the fuck…?"

Both men looked from the kitten to Pepper, equally shocked.