When lunch was finished everyone took their dishes into the kitchen and stacked them for Peter and MJ and then started bundling up to go outside.
"Why don't you leave Jack with us, Steve?" Peter offered. "He really struggled in the deep snow and he didn't seem to enjoy sledding with us."
"You don't mind?"
"Of course not," Peter assured him. "I'll feed him and then bring him out when we come join you. By then the snow should be a little trampled and maybe he can run around a little better."
"Thanks, Peter."
The boy busied himself at the sink, rinsing dishes and then handing them to MJ, who loaded them into the dishwasher. Dressed in a heavy coat with a hood, snow pants, boots and carrying gloves, Tony came into the kitchen as everyone started heading outside.
"You guys okay?"
MJ nodded.
"We're fine, Mr. Stark. Right Peter?"
"Yeah. No, we're good. There aren't that many dishes. It won't take long."
"Come join us when you're done," Stark told them. "It's your trip, remember? You should be outside enjoying it."
"I will. We will."
He slapped Peter's shoulder, winked cheerfully at MJ and then left them to their dishes.
"He's a nice guy, isn't he?" MJ asked.
Peter nodded, and reached for the kettle that the stew had been heated in.
"Yeah."
"Do you like living with him? With them?"
"With Tony and Pepper?"
"With Mr. Stark and the Avengers," she clarified. "Things must seem pretty surreal, surrounded by superheroes all the time."
He smiled, shaking his head.
"It's insane, sometimes," he admitted. "When I step back and look around at where I'm at. Living at a compound, surrounded by people who are wildly talented – either smarter than almost anyone – and there are a lot of scientist there who are pretty brilliant – or people like Tony, Natasha and Steve, who just routinely go out and do amazing things that save the world. And then come home and play cards or Monopoly like it's just another day at the office."
"Which it is," MJ pointed out. "To them, anyway."
"Yeah. That's the crazy part."
"When are you coming back to school?"
"Tuesday, I think." He smiled, trying to act nonchalant. "Missed me?"
She nodded.
"Yeah. Actually, I have. Ned keeps us up to speed on what you're doing, and how you're doing, and we know you're alive, because you send homework in, but it's more entertaining actually having you there."
Peter blushed, looking down at the kettle he was washing to hide it.
"Thanks. It'll be a little weird, getting back in the swing of things at school, but I need to get moving, you know? Can't hide out with the Avenger forever."
She gave him a look that he didn't see, and then took the kettle from him when he handed it to her, loading it into the dishwasher.
"Thanks for inviting me out here."
"You're welcome."
"And thanks for not inviting some of the others."
She didn't mention names, but they all knew who she meant. Peter smiled.
"You're welcome."
They finished the dishes, wiping the counters and the table off with a handy towel, and then started the machine, knowing that they were probably going to need some of those dishes for dinner. The kitchen cupboards were filled with stacks of plates, bowls and glasses – as well as mugs, saucers and pretty much anything a person could think might be needed for a group their size or larger, but they both knew that if not handled quickly a mess could easily become overwhelming.
While MJ found the bag of puppy kibble that Steve had put in the pantry, Peter set up the electronic coffee maker, setting the timer for later that afternoon, guessing how long they would be outside. He figured the adults were probably going to want something hot to drink by the time they were done outside.
"He mixes the dry with some wet food," he told MJ, reaching over her head to pull down a can of moist food, while Jack watched with interest, his tail wagging excitedly.
He knew what that bag meant!
MJ dutifully mixed the two, smiling down at the enthusiastic puppy and baby talking him, asking him who was hungry, and was he going to eat some dinner, too. Peter rolled his eyes, knowing that he, too, was guilty of doing that to Jack, and wondering what it was about puppies that turned an intelligent, articulate person into an idiot.
She set the dish down and the puppy started in on it like it was steak and potatoes, and while he was eating the teens got bundled back up in their coats – this time adding the waterproof snow pants to avoid coming back as soaked as they had the first time. Jack joined them when he was done eating, licking his chops and ready for whatever adventure was next, and they snapped his leash onto his harness and headed out to see how the others were doing.
OOOOOOO
They'd had no trouble finding the hill. And they'd brought all the sleds with them – although Peter noticed that they didn't have the innertubes out, yet. Probably hadn't wanted to take the time to inflate them, yet, he decided. They could do that that evening, so they'd be ready for the next day. The snow was a little beaten down around the hill, so Jack was able to move a little better, and Peter and MJ stopped at the bottom to get an idea of who was where.
It was impossible to tell everyone apart bundled like they were, unless you knew what colored coat each had on. Some were easy, of course. Ned was the one ambling up the hill, a big ball of energy that was shouting excitedly at Steve, who was bigger than the others and wearing a blue coat, with a red and white hat pulled down over his hears. He was standing at the top of the hill, a sled in hand and waiting for Ned, who was almost to the top.
The black coat, a faux lined fur hood with the gray wool hat was Natasha. She was with Strange making their way up the hill as well. The doctor's coat was also black, but somehow even covered with snow – and it was – he still looked elegant and sharp. With his enhanced eyesight, Peter could see he was smiling when he turned his head to help Natasha through a particularly slippery spot of trampled snow.
The red coated person coming down the hill on a sled was Pepper. Her hood was flapping behind her, but her red wool hat was holding her hair in place, and the snow was flying up around her as she hurtled down the hill, obviously enjoying herself and the grip of the person who was sitting behind her, holding onto her for dear life it seemed. Tony was wearing blue, also, and a stocking hat that was the same shade. He'd adamantly refused to get one with a poofy ball on top, despite Pepper's insistence.
Jack barked, excitedly, as the sled came closer, and the puppy charged out to meet them as it came to a stop at the bottom of the hill. He jumped onto Pepper, licking and ready to play whatever game it was that they were offering, and she caught him up cheerfully to protect herself from dogfood breath kisses. She and Tony both smiled when they saw the observers, and staggered to their feet.
"You're done? Good."
Peter smiled.
"Looks like you're having fun."
Stark nodded.
"I am."
Pepper had set Jack down on the ground, catching up his leash. She grinned.
"You're done, Cinderellas?"
Peter and MJ both nodded.
"Then help Tony back up the hill. I'll watch Jack while I catch my breath."
Stark didn't even protest. He grabbed a teenager with each hand and pushed them toward the sleds that were sticking out of the snow, waiting to be used.
"Come on, kids."
OOOOOOOO
"I don't think this is what Pepper meant…" MJ said, a few minutes later.
"It's exactly what she said," Tony told her, reasonably. "You're supposed to help me up the hill."
"She didn't say anything about doing all the work."
"It's implied. Now get to pulling Peter. Mush."
Stark was sitting on a sled. Lounging back, casually, while Peter held the rope that was attached to the front of it, pulling him up the hill. MJ was carrying the other sled, watching with surprise at how easily Peter was managing the deadweight of the billionaire, even though there was no friction on the snow, of course.
"If you let him go and allowed him to slide backward I'd testify that your grip slipped," MJ told Peter, looking back at Stark, who was reaching out and catching snow during their ascent, making snowballs and lofting them at the two as they made their way up the hill.
"I heard that, young lady," Tony chided, wagging a reproving finger at her. "That is not how one gets invited to pull me up the hill next time…"
She rolled her eyes at that but smiled. She was having a good time, and Peter was right about one thing. It was definitely a different side of the superhero thing. Ironman one day, and the man behind her the next.
She was going to learn a lot this weekend.