"Is he awake, yet?"

Tony shook his head, looking down at the boy sleeping in the bed beside him. He was dressed and ready for his day; a pair of jeans and a couple of layered t-shirts, and was simply sitting in the bed to keep an eye on Peter while Pepper showered and dressed. They had their routine down to a pattern by then; one would stay with him when he joined them in their bed – to make sure he didn't wake up alone – while the other dressed, and then they'd switch off. Right now, it was Tony sitting with him, one hand on Peter's shoulder, while the other held the phone he was reading emails with.

"He's beginning to move around, though." The billionaire smiled when he watched her put earrings on, and then the bracelet that Peter had made her. "That doesn't really go with your outfit…"

She was dressed for the tower; a slim, peach-colored dress and knee high boots that Tony loved to see her in – they made her legs just keep going, and he was all for that, any day of the week.

"It goes with everything," Pepper disagreed, smiling. "Except cat hair…" she added, reaching down to take her paper crown away from Nutmeg – again.

Peter was asleep, but his kitten had been awake as long as they had. Like the lounge and Peter's room, they kept a supply of food and necessities for Nutmeg available for just this situation, and Tony had fed the little guy before he had a chance to get too rambunctious in his quest for breakfast. Now instead of knocking things off shelves and other furniture, Nutmeg was trying to steal that which didn't belong to him.

As usual.

"Are you about ready for breakfast?" Tony asked her, taking the crown from her and setting it on the shelf above their headboard without looking away from her.

"Yes." She smiled down at their sleeping son, brushing her fingers along his cheek. "Do you wake him, or should I?"

The touch was all it took, though.

With a sleepy noise, Peter shifted and opened his eyes, looking up at first Pepper and then Tony. They both watched as he looked around, and saw in his expression when he realized where he was.

"Good morning," Tony told him, setting his phone aside, but never taking his hand from Peter's shoulder. "How do you feel?"

Peter closed his eyes, again, and reached unerringly for Pepper's hand, holding it and cuddling against her – telling them without words that he wasn't completely awake, just yet, but that the toddler might be.

"Sleepy." He sighed, but didn't open his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"We're not," Pepper assured him, leaning over and pressing a kiss against his cheek, smiling at Tony as she did. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Yes. Well… no, it wasn't scary or anything. Just dreamed about Thanos – and then the fight I had with MJ."

Upsetting, then, but not a nightmare.

"We're getting ready to have breakfast. Are you hungry? Or do you want to go back to sleep?"

"I have to go to the lounge and be the helper."

"Do it at lunch," Tony suggested. "There isn't a set time, right?"

"No."

"How much cake did you have before you went to bed?" Pepper asked as he finally sat up, rubbing his face, sleepily.

"Two pieces."

"What else did you have?" Tony asked, winking at his wife, amused.

"Ice cream and some chips."

No wonder he was having crazy dreams.

"Peter…" Pepper rolled her eyes, disapprovingly, brushing her fingers through his hair. "That's probably not the best bedtime snack."

"Clint dared me."

"And you let him? What am I saying? Of course you did. How's the stomach?"

"I'm fine." And now he was awake, as well. He shook his head. "I'm so dumb. Coming to you guys like this every time. Doctor Bird probably has a medical phrase for it…"

"It's called cuddling with mom and dad," Tony told him, affectionately. "And we like it that you need us."

"I'm a little old for it."

"If you're doing it when you're thirty, we'll start to worry," Pepper added. "But you're young, and Tony's right; we love the fact that you know you have somewhere to go if you need to be held."

And they'd already made sure that Doctor Bird knew it. Luckily, the psychologist wasn't too concerned about the boy's nocturnal wanderings, either. He knew Peter's past – some of it, anyway. And he'd probably learn even more, soon.

Peter just shrugged, knowing that it wasn't an argument that they'd have with him because they both meant what they were saying. They did love him, and they didn't mind that he joined them in their bed. He was bemused when Alec added his own two cent's worth.

"Good thing they don't really want to make an heir," the ancient sorcerer said, amused. "You're the ultimate birth control, ending up in their bed at any time."

The boy shook his head, but he was amused, too – rather than be appalled at the thought that he really was probably keeping them from being as close as they would prefer. He wondered if he should send them off for a weekend getaway without him.

"They wouldn't go," Alec told him. "Not right now. It's a good idea, though."

"Go get dressed," Tony told him, breaking into the silent conversation without realizing it. "Then meet us in the lounge and we'll make sure momma has a good breakfast before we send her out to make us more millions."

"Okay."

He hugged Pepper, first, and then Tony, picked up his kitten – after taking Tony's wallet away from him – and headed for the door.

"He looks alright…" Pepper said, softly, as they heard the door close behind him.

"He's fine, Pep. It wasn't even the birthday thing like we expected. Just Thanos."

She rolled her eyes.

"Just Thanos?"

Like that was something to feel better about.

Tony clearly thought it was, though, because he smiled, checking his wallet for puncture marks from Nutmeg's claws and teeth.

"If it'd been me, I'd probably have bad dreams about it, too." He had actually had a nightmare or two about how badly things could have turned out, but Pepper's solid presence beside him had soothed him as much as it did Peter. "Bird can talk to him about it. He'll be fine."

"And the MJ thing?" she asked.

"Ugh. A teenaged girl? There aren't enough shrinks in the world to solve that problem."

Pepper smiled and offered him her hand, feeling better – as he'd obviously meant for her to feel.

"I was a teenaged girl, once."

"I'm glad I didn't know you, then," Tony told her, smirking, and tucking her arm into his to walk her out the door. "You were probably way too good for the teenaged boy that I was."

"Oh, I was."

OOOOOOO

"You look tired."

Ned looked up from his phone, saw MJ sitting herself across from him and nodded.

"I am. Was up late last night."

She frowned.

"So was I."

"What were you doing?" he asked, curiously, glancing back at his phone and then setting it down with a sigh.

"Had a weird dream."

The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Was it about Peter?"

MJ frowned.

"Maybe. Why?"

"Because I dreamed he was on the roof of the compound with a scene out of World War Z going on around them and a big purple guy that kept calling him Clyde and threatening to kill everyone."

"Thanos."

Ned's eyes widened.

"How did you know that?"

"That's what I dreamed, too. Peter was wearing a black suit, and had a glove with some bedazzles on it, or something, and snapped his fingers."

"And the light came."

"Yeah." She frowned. "How did you and I have the same dream? That's scary."

"Not as scary as that Thanos guy. Holy shit. I can't believe he thought Tony was going to let him threaten Pepper without doing anything…"

"But it was Peter who killed him."

"Yeah. And all those aliens, too. I wonder if that's what happened to his hand?"

"Snapping his fingers too hard?"

Ned scowled at the sarcasm.

"Light creates heat, MJ. I know thermal dynamics aren't your specialty, but I imagine you've changed a hot lightbulb, before. That much light should have fried him."

"I know…" She hesitated. "What else did you dream about?"

He knew what she meant, immediately, and he shrugged.

"Just the mess he made of the Pontiac."

"And why…?"

"Yeah."

"I tried to call him, this morning," MJ told Ned. "But it went to voicemail. He's pissed at me and probably ghosting me."

"He's grounded. Tony took his phone away. I emailed him, earlier – he still has access to the net and everything, just not his phone – but he didn't respond, yet."

"Think he's alright?"

Ned nodded.

"Of course he is. He has the Avengers to watch out for him – and Pepper and Tony to make sure he's safe."

"I wish I could talk to him."

"Good luck with that. I'm going out on Friday, I'll tell him to email you, if you want."

"You're going to the compound?"

"Yeah. It was set up, before he got grounded, and Tony didn't say anything has changed." She looked annoyed, and Ned held up a hand to stop her before she could say anything. "Before you get jealous, I'm his best friend, and I'm a guy. I can go out there, because my mom doesn't have to worry about my virtue, being around a teenage boy like your folks have to. Although if Natasha even dropped the slightest of hints…"

"You'd turn beet red and run away…"

She lost the annoyed look, probably seeing the truth in what he'd said.

"What? No way."

MJ shook her head, but before she could say anything, the bell rang, and the once quiet room was suddenly bustling. The girl picked up her books.

"When you see him, tell him to email me, would you? I just want to make sure he's okay."

"Yeah. Sure."