It didn't take Peter long to tell them what had happened the night before – or walk them through the conversation that he'd had with the alien. It took a lot longer for the vein in Tony's forehead to vanish, though, and he looked more than a little annoyed by the time Peter was done.

"It never occurred to you that you should ask before you did something so crazy?" he asked, telling Peter and Pepper both what he was so upset about.

"No. I mean, well, yeah. But I didn't know about it until after we got home, and we'd already said goodnight, and then Alec told me about what was going on with the collector and that he might try finding me and maybe come to earth and cause trouble, and…" he trailed off. "I didn't want you to worry – and I don't know how I would have been able to take you along."

And he would have wanted to go along, of course.

"You're not hurt?" Pepper asked, taking a different approach to her concern. She reached for his forehead. "Is that why you're so tired, today?"

"Only because it kept me awake a little while," Peter told her, honestly. "I'm fine – and I made sure to sleep with Natasha last night, so I wouldn't sleepwalk if something happened to freak me out."

"That was smart," Pepper said, glancing at Tony, who didn't look mollified.

"You're grounded," Stark told the boy.

"I know."

"For another month."

"What? Why?"

"Because we just had a conversation about you doing something reckless and maybe getting hurt. You're supposed to be thinking before you act. Remember?"

"I did think," Peter said. "It was the best way to keep him from being so curious that he was going to come looking for me. Now he won't."

"You don't know that. What if he was lying? What if he knows enough about you, now, that he's going to show up on our doorstep in the middle of the night, now, and try to take you?"

The concern was very real in Tony's expression, but Peter had a counter.

"He wasn't lying."

"You don't know that," Tony repeated.

"Of course I do. The mind stone would tell me – and so would Alec."

Stark scowled.

"Don't get me started on your buddy in your head, either," he said. "If I could, I'd ground him, too, for talking you into doing something so dumb. Or put the business end of a hoover against your ear and suck him out."

Alec snorted, amused, but Peter wasn't, at all.

"That isn't fair." He looked at Pepper, trying very hard not to automatically ask her to take his side, since he knew it wasn't fair to her, but she had to see that he wasn't being reckless. "I was just trying to help."

"Tony…" she gave him a look. "A month is a little harsh."

He looked like he'd have liked to make it a year, just then, but he scowled, took a deep breath and looked between the two of them.

"Fine. Two weeks."

Peter made an annoyed noise, but didn't argue. He looked down at his plate, and decided that he was done eating.

"I'm going to go back to my schoolwork."

"Good idea." Tony didn't want him to turn those big, brown, eyes on him and make him feel guilty. "I'll get copies of Romeo and Juliet and hand them out to the others."

Peter looked surprised by that, and he shook his head, gathering up his garbage.

"You don't have to. I'll just read it. They have better things to do than help me with my homework."

Tony rolled his eyes, unused to getting so much pushback from the boy and uncertain what to do about it. He wasn't going to back down, of course – no more than he already had – but he didn't want so much tension between them. Especially since Peter was so prone to self-doubts and panic attacks – not to mention the sleepwalking.

"They won't agree, son, and you know I don't, either. They love you, and so do I."

"But…?"

"No but. Just…" he shrugged. "Just talk to someone, next time, before you decide to do something like this. If not me, then Pepper – or Natasha."

Not Wong, though.

"I probably won't need to do it, again." He stood up, looking disheartened and still annoyed, himself. "I'll see you, later."

He didn't stop to say goodbye to either of them, and Tony sighed.

"Well, I handled that badly, huh?"

Pepper smiled.

"You did great. But next time, talk to someone – preferably me – before you decide to add to an already existing punishment. That way we're on the same page."

"You think I went too far?"

"No, Tony." She rested her hand on his forearm. "I think you did fine. He has a lot of power, and up until now he's only used it when it's been sanctioned. I suppose it isn't too surprising that he thinks he's ready to start making his own decisions about when and where, but he's still very young. It's your job to check him up when he doesn't think, first."

"Even if I get a guilt trip? Or he gets mad?"

She smirked.

"Especially then. That's why you're the parent."

"Hmmm. He'll probably pout."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Want me to take him home with me? He could do his schoolwork there, instead."

"Of course not. Dealing with it is my job, too, right? All part of being the mom."

She was kind of looking forward to it, really.

Stark shrugged.

"If he packs a knapsack and mentions running away from home, remind him that if he's well enough to do that, then he's probably well enough to resume his duties as kitchen/lounge helper."

"I'll be sure to mention it."

They finished their meal in good spirits, and then Tony walked her back up to her office. Peter was sitting at his desk, slumped a little with his chin resting on his left hand and his right manipulating the display – although he wasn't paying much attention to what he was doing. Tony kissed Pepper, and then walked over to stand behind Peter, bringing his arm around him, but automatically checking for fever, as well.

"I'm leaving."

"Okay."

"I'll see you, tonight."

"Yeah."

"I love you."

The boy brought his right hand up, fingers brushing Tony's facial hair.

"I love you, too."

"Good. Get something done, okay?"

"Yeah. Fly safe."

"Always."

He kissed the top of Peter's head, winked at Pepper and then headed for the large glass door, already activating his suit.

"Pizza for dinner," he told them, before he activated the helmet and took off with a blast of fiery rockets.

Pepper walked over and sat on the edge of Peter's desk.

"So what did this guy have in his collection?"

"What?"

He looked surprised by the question.

"The collector. What does he collect?"

"A lot of things," the boy told her, smiling. "Some of it was alive, I think, and some were weird-looking. Probably alien things. It was like the sanctum, only a lot bigger."

"We really don't have to worry about him coming to look for you?"

"No. He's not like Thanos. Not at all. He's a little crazy, but I'm pretty sure he got the answers that he wanted, and will leave me alone, now."

"Alec agrees?"

"Yes."

She nodded.

"Good." Pepper brushed her hand against his shoulder. "You're okay?"

"Yeah."

"Mad?"

"No. Just upset."

"Because you don't think you needed to ask, first?"

"If I'd asked, you guys would have said no."

"You don't know that."

"Tony's reaction just now tells me that I'm probably right."

"Maybe. But ask, first, next time. Okay? I don't like that vein that pops out when he gets upset."

Peter ignored Alec's silent reply, and just nodded.

"Okay." He hesitated. "You're mad?"

"Not too much. I can't be."

"Why not?"

"Because I love you." Pepper brushed his hair back from his forehead, pleased at his reaction to that. "And so does Tony."

"I know."

"Good. My merger meeting is coming up. I'm going to be in the conference room down the hall if you need anything."

"Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome. Son."

He smiled at that, and turned his attention back to his display.

Being grounded wasn't any fun, but it was a novelty to have someone do it to him, that was for sure.

"You're going to miss that cell phone, though."

Duh.