"That wasn't too bad, now, was it?"

"I'm not feeling any food poisoning…"

Tony smirked.

"We could ask Peter what that felt like, just to be sure…"

Pepper had finished eating her breakfast in bed, and her guys had watched, expectantly, meaning that she didn't have a way to dump the food out like she and Tony had the morning that Peter had fed them what was almost certainly the most disgusting meal she'd ever been subjected to. Luckily, the birthday breakfast wasn't terrible. The eggs were bland, but the shredded cheese was salty enough to flavor them, and the sausages were burnt, but not too bad.

Nutmeg did manage to eventually steal one of them from the plate even though they were all watching, but aside from that, it was her meal to complete. When it was finished, she and Tony sent Peter off to change out of his soiled clothes and told him that they would meet him in the lounge. The boy left, taking Pepper's tray with him – and his kitten, which he put on the tray since he didn't have any hands free.

"I think I'm fine."

"I think you're great," Tony assured her, hugging her, closely, and pressing a kiss against her cheek.

"What do you two have planned for today?" she asked, not allowing him to distract her. "Nothing too extravagant, I hope."

"Extravagant?" Tony echoed, affecting a shocked expression. "Me?"

"Tony…"

"Nothing too crazy," he replied, letting her go and leaning back a little. He needed to go change, too, but there was no real hurry. "A barbeque, later, and a few little surprises here and there throughout the day."

The barbeque was fine, but Pepper wasn't so sure what he meant by little surprises. She knew he wasn't going to tell her, though, and decided that she'd allow it. Whatever it ended up being. Not only because it made Tony smile, but because Peter was certainly going to have a fun day because of it. Besides, it would probably be fun.

"Should I dress casual?"

"Not a bad idea."

"I'm going to go shower," she told him, taking off the party hat that he'd put on her head, earlier. "Hold my crown."

"Or… I could join you…?"

She smiled, pretending to think about it – which wasn't the case at all.

"Ironpig stays out here."

"Yes, dear."

OOOOOOO

"Well?"

Peter grinned.

"She was surprised."

Clint nodded, but that hadn't been the question that he was asking.

"Did she keel over?"

Steve was at the same table, and he chuckled outright, while Romanoff smirked. Peter wasn't offended – and they knew it.

"Of course not. She loved it."

"Loved?" Natasha echoed.

"Well… she loves us," Peter conceded. "So that's a start."

"We're set for later?" Steve asked Natasha.

"Not set, exactly, but getting there. Stephen and I will go to Asgard and talk to Thor."

Peter smiled, excitedly – although he tried to hide it, a little. He looked at Shuri, who was already awake and dressed, hanging out in the lounge because decorating for a birthday wasn't something that she'd done before, and she was helping Deena and the others make sure the place was ready.

"T'Challa has everything prepared – we'll just need a portal at the right time."

Romanoff nodded, again.

"Wong will handle it, if we're not back – but we should be."

"Thor isn't going to give you a hard time?" Peter asked, wishing that he could go, but well aware that asking to go to Asgard was a lot different than asking if he could fly on a training mission on the jet. He was, technically, in trouble after all. Besides, he knew that none of them thought he was healthy enough to handle the trip – much less the magical energies of the place.

"Doubtful. Not if it's for Pepper."

Not to mention that Peter had saved the universe and the god of Thunder knew it – and had almost certainly told the rest of his people. That would count for something when they came to the Asgardians to cash in a favor.

"This is going to be great."

The adults nodded their agreement.

"If Pepper doesn't kill Tony by the end of the day," Clint added. "This is not going to be low-key…"

"Doubtful," Steve said, slapping Peter on the back, reassuringly. "He's faster than her."

"She has the Rescue suit, now…" Natasha reminded him.

"Good point."

Peter just shook his head, gathering up Nutmeg before he could jump off the tray and passing him over to Shuri with a smile.

"I need to go change," he told them, looking down at his clothing. He and Tony had made a fair mess of themselves cooking, and rather than allow Pepper's breakfast to get cold while Peter changed, they'd just wiped themselves as clean as they could for the moment and had gone ahead with starting Pepper's big day. "I'll be back in a bit."

"You're okay, though?" Natasha asked him, her expression more serious, now.

Stephen was almost certainly going to ask her, after all, before he went looking for the boy. She might as well have an answer.

"Yeah."

"How's the hand?"

"Aches a little."

"And your head?"

Peter rolled his eyes, good naturedly. If she didn't ask, he'd be worried.

"It aches a little, too," he said, honestly. "But I'm good. Really."

He left, and Shuri smiled at Romanoff.

"What would you have done had he said he hurt?"

"She'd have touched his forehead and frowned," Clint answered, before the assassin could. She scowled and he pointed at her with a smirk. "Just like that."

"Don't listen to him, Shuri," Natasha advised. "He acts like it's crazy the way we double-check Peter to make sure he isn't overdoing things, but he's easily as bad with his kids as Tony and Pepper are with Peter."

"She's only saying that because it's true," Barton agreed with a shrug.

The girl smiled, shaking her head and then burying her face into Nutmeg's belly, making the kitten purr. She was going to miss hanging out with the Avengers when she returned home.

OOOOOOO

"I don't get it…"

"I am groot."

"You don't get it, either," Rocket said, frowning at the young tree that was sitting across from him. "You've never been here."

"I am groot."

"They did not."

"They did," Peter Quill confirmed, listening in on the conversation while working his way through a hearty breakfast – the kind that he definitely missed having in space. He was going to miss this place, that was for sure. "When I came in last night, Peter and Shuri were both decorating with a couple of the others – and Groot was with them, explaining the whole concept of birthday celebrations before I even had a need to do it, myself."

"So they celebrate not dying?" Drax asked, also eating a breakfast that was considerably more filling than what their normal fare on the Milano was.

"No. They celebrate the appearance they made on the planet," Mantis told them. "It is a celebration of life."

"They celebrate death, too," Gamora said. "They have funerals and wakes."

"I think they just enjoy a good party…"

"I am groot."

Sirah was sitting with them, as well, looking around the room as if awed by the changes the decorations made.

"It's very pretty."

"It's supposed to be," Peter told her.

"But temporary."

Rocket just shook his head.

"I still don't get it."

"There's going to be cake, later," Gamora told him. "As much as we want, and almost certainly in multiple flavors."

"And presents," Mantis added.

The racoon raised an eyebrow.

"I love birthdays."

OOOOOOOOO

It was almost an hour before Tony and Pepper made their appearance in the lounge. They went there, first, because it was habit to do so, really. It was where they normally enjoyed their morning meal with Peter – especially on weekends and days that Pepper wasn't working, and it was usually the first place that he'd come looking for them if he needed anything. It was also a good place for them (and Tony, especially) to find the others and see if there was anything that anyone needed from him, specifically, before the day began.

This morning was a little different, however. When Pepper walked into the lounge, once more wearing the ridiculous Burger King crown (Tony insisted) and thinking that a cup of coffee sounded like a great idea, she stopped at the entrance, looking around with an expression that was torn between chagrin and surprise – and there was a little bit of happiness, too, of course. The room had been decorated with a banner proclaiming that it was her birthday, and a lot of glitter, sparkles, balloons and bunting adorning every table and the bar.

"Happy birthday," Steve said, walked over to offer her his arm, formally – which made Tony roll his eyes, good-naturedly. "Will the Queen for the Day please allow her humble servant to escort her to her throne?"

"My throne…?"

"A queen needs a throne," Steve said, her arm going through his as he walked her over to their normal table in the corner, smoothly. "Right Shuri?"

"It is common knowledge," the princess agreed, amused.

The normal place that Pepper would sit was now dominated by a garishly decorated and gold-gilded chair with a high back, arm rests and false gems (maybe?) that glittered almost magically in the light of the room.

"This is a bit much, isn't it?" she said to Tony as Steve seated her, formally, and bowed before he sat next to Shuri and Carol – who was watching with amusement.

"Peter wanted a throne of swords and skulls," the billionaire told her, sitting in his normal spot – which was still a regular chair and nothing like the monstrosity that she was lording over the others from, now. "Like in Game of Thrones."

"I suggested one made of vibranium," Shuri said, smiling and enjoying the fact that she was part of the surprise. "But it would not have arrived in time."

Pepper shook her head, but before she could say anything, someone else was at her side. Neatly dressed, now, in jeans and a t-shirt, with a smile on his face and his brown eyes happy, Peter was wearing an apron and holding a pad of paper, awkwardly.

"Good morning, my Queen," he said, formally – although his bow wasn't graceful at all, Shuri noticed. "My name is Peter and I will be your server this morning. Can I offer you something to drink?"

"You're already doing your kitchen helper thing?" she asked, surprised.

"I want to get it out of the way," he told her. "Coffee?"

"Please."

"A donut?"

"No."

"Cinnamon roll?"

"Are they fresh?"

"Ned's mom sent some – just for today."

Tony rolled his eyes at that, too.

She nodded.

"That sounds nice, thank you."

The boy looked at the others, but they all had drinks in front of them, already – and Tony smiled when Peter left.

"Is Ned coming, today?" Pepper asked.

"No. He's coming this weekend – provided Peter is feeling better. He said to tell you happy birthday, and he sent you a birthday present along with his mom's rolls."

She smiled.

"He's such a sweetheart."

"You can tell him that this weekend. It'll be fun to see him get red."

"Peter's alright with him not being here?"

"It's not Peter's birthday, Pep. He's fine."

"He is," Shuri confirmed. "He said with all of the activities planned today, he did not want you to have the distraction of worrying about what he and Ned might be up to."

Pepper frowned.

"All of the activities…?" she echoed, looking at Tony, suspiciously. "I thought it was going to be low-key…"

Her husband gave her an innocent look, his eyes growing wide and guiless – although it wasn't even close to sincere.

"Whaaaat? Don't listen to her, Pep…" he said, looking around. "She's a foreigner, after all – and doesn't understand the variations of the word activities."

"Tony…"

"I think I'll go see if Peter needs help," he said, getting up and leaving the table.

Pepper shook her head.

"Can you believe this?" she asked Danvers, who had been watching with amusement.

"Oh. I'm beginning to learn that there's very little I shouldn't expect from that one."