"Well?"
The boy shrugged.
"She drank the potion and went to sleep. But she wasn't happy with the idea – and she doesn't like the taste of it any more than the rest of us did."
"It isn't a potion," Stephen said, rolling his eyes, amused and not bothering to hide it. "And it isn't supposed to taste pleasant."
He had been more than willing to provide instant travel to Wakanda when he learned the reason for the need. Not only did he like Shuri and her brother, but he knew what the girl had done to assist with the defense of earth, and wasn't going to even put up a token argument. He'd even suggested that they speed up her recovery with the same tonic that had pulled the sick avengers and Peter through the illness that had plagued them after May's funeral. He had offered to simply leave a large supply with the healers (as the Wakandans called their doctors) and had promised to deliver more when it ran out.
"Tony and Pepper are still with Ramonda?"
"They are," T'Challa confirmed. "They may be a while, still."
Peter wasn't surprised. Tony and Pepper would make sure Sirah was happy with where she was – at least so far – and that was going to take a while, he knew. He knew that T'Challa had better things to do than play host to him and Stephen while they waited, however.
"Can I go look around while we wait?"
"Of course."
"I'll come with you, Peter," Stephen said, deciding that while T'Challa obviously didn't mind the idea of the boy roaming the palace at will, Tony and Pepper might prefer that he had some company, just to make sure nothing happened.
Besides, T'Challa was a king. He certainly had things to do that didn't include being gracious host to an American sorcerer.
"Sounds good."
OOOOOOO
Ned and Natasha were the only ones waiting in the lounge for the small group when they returned from Wakanda shortly before lunch.
"How's Shuri?" Romanoff asked Peter, smiling when the boy walked over to stand behind her and put his arms around her.
"She's sick," he confirmed. "And being pretty stubborn about staying in bed."
"But you made her see things your way?"
"No. Well, for the moment. I dosed her with Stephen's gross potion, and she was forced to fall asleep or feel it dissolving her tongue."
Natasha laughed at that, ignoring Strange's long-suffering sigh. Pepper and Tony had seated themselves by then.
"How's Sirah?" Ned asked, knowing that the adults had planned on checking in on her while Peter was spending time with Shuri.
"She's doing well," Pepper said, looking pleased. "She told me that she likes the people that work at the orphanage, and she is already fond of the kids."
"She's in a good spot," Tony agreed. "It's a great fit for her."
Peter was pleased, too, and it showed. He looked at Natasha, after making a show of checking his friend carefully.
"How was sparring? I don't see any bruises…"
Romanoff winked.
"And mar that handsome face?" she smiled; watching Ned blush was always fun. "He's doing fine."
"I'll be a ninja in no time." Ned had other things on his mind, though. "Gamora came by, earlier. They're finishing up with the Milano, right now, and figure to do their test run sometime before dinner."
"And Steve is digging out the tent, as we speak," Natasha added, looking at Tony, pointedly. "I think the boys are in for a pretty busy day – all things considered."
Those things being the fact that Peter was supposed to be taking it easy, and he wasn't getting much rest that weekend, so far.
Tony frowned, but before he could say anything about vetoing the idea of Peter and Ned sleeping in the field that evening, Pepper put her hand on his arm, silencing him.
"Good. After we eat, we can go out to the field and see what – if any – help we can be."
Ned looked excited – not surprisingly, since it was his idea – and Peter was smiling, too.
"Can we set up a campfire?" the boy asked. "So we can roast marshmallows for s'mores?"
That was asking a bit much, and it showed on all the adults' faces. Obviously they were having visions of the entire rear of the compound going up in flames.
"Maybe a Bunsen burner?" Peter suggested.
They both knew how to use them, after all.
"We'll see," Tony said, quickly, before Pepper could agree. "Let's see what we have set up, and we'll play it by ear."
Romanoff smiled to hear such a parent answer, but she didn't say anything. Being dad was Tony's job, after all. She was the crazy aunt who was allowed to be more lenient and fun. But not so fun that she was going to let the boys near an open flame if she had to. Peter had helped burn down a cooking school.
"I want Peter to get some rest," Stephen said to the table at large, but looking directly at the boy when he said it. He didn't have to be the fun uncle; his job was to be the cautious doctor – and he did it well. "After we eat, go take it easy for a while – to make sure you're not going to be too tired the rest of the night."
"I feel okay," Peter assured him. He looked at Natasha. "I want to go watch them work on the Milano."
She started to say something, but before she could, Stephen interrupted, well aware that she might not side with him and he didn't want to face a united front of Natasha Romanoff – who he was very much in like with – and Peter Parker, who had big brown eyes and had once sat in his lap as a toddler and fallen asleep, there.
"Would you rather watch them work on it, or ride in it?" he asked, pointedly.
"Awww…"
Tony was forced to hide his smile, but Ned didn't even bother.
"I'll tell you what happens, Peter," his friend assured him. "And maybe get some video?"
"Nope. No video," Tony vetoed. "No soundbites, either. Any pictures are wiped from your phone and all your media before you leave, tomorrow, and will be available in view only form for you. Understood?"
"Yeah. Of course. That's not something you guys want to have leaked, I bet." He looked at Peter. "Does MJ know about it?"
A fair question, to ask what he could discuss with her when he saw her, next.
"No. She doesn't know about the guardians."
"She knows about Thanos, though," Ned reminded him – and the others.
"She knows she had a dream," Tony corrected.
"She knows," Ned said. "She's too smart to think it's just a coincidence."
Peter nodded his agreement to that, looking at Pepper and Tony.
"She knows."
Stark shrugged.
"Then she knows. She can keep a secret, too."
"She knew Peter was Spiderman for a long time before she told him," Ned reminded them.
"True." He looked at Peter. "No mention of the Milano when you see her, tomorrow, though. Okay?"
"Yeah."
"Or the light," Pepper added.
They didn't want that particular bit of information to get out, either.
"It was in the dream," Ned said, smiling when the server came to see what they wanted to have for lunch and somewhat distracted. "She knows where the light came from – and that it hurt Peter."
Peter sighed, suddenly worried about the secrets that he still had to keep from MJ and what he could tell her – and the fact that he had so many topics that he had to skirt around, or completely avoid. What if she brought one up, directly with him, and he hesitated, and she got mad? Again. What if she didn't want to talk to him at all? What if she-
"Hey…" Tony's voice – soothing as always – cut into his fledgling panic attack before it could gain footing.
"Yeah?"
"It's not a big deal. She knows what she knows, and we deal with it. She's not going to go to the newspapers. She's your friend."
Besides, if she did, they'd have Friday wipe the story before it gained a foothold on any media outlets.
Peter nodded, feeling a little less worried.
"Yeah. I know."
He did.
"Let's eat," Pepper said. "Then you get some rest, and we'll see if Stephen can find something to give Ned to keep him from throwing up all over the inside of the guardians' spaceship."
Peter smiled at that – as she had almost certainly intended him to.
"Good luck."
They all remembered the flight to Montana, after all.
"I can find something," Strange assured them all. "Or at least a large supply of airsickness bags."
"I'm not going to get sick," Ned told them, confidently. "It's a spaceship, not an airplane. You'll see."