"Is he sleeping through the night?"

"He seems to be. Some dreams – even last night – but nothing that brings him awake in a panic or anything."

"Should he be sleeping so much, Stephen?"

"He's healing, Tony. It takes a lot out of him. Probably more, with Peter, since he heals so much faster."

"He isn't though, is he?"

"The wound looks good," Strange said. "If it were any other 16-year-old, he'd be in a hospital for weeks. As it is, I'm inclined to let him out of bed – only as far as his sofa, though – until I check him out on Sunday."

Peter stirred, roused by the voices above him and the fact that the Cloak of Levitation was humming cheerfully in his mind. He opened his eyes and found he was still in Natasha's arms, where he'd been since the night before. He remembered watching movies and at that time he'd been with Pepper and Tony, but had woken when Natasha had joined them, sliding easily into the space beside him that Pepper vacated after brushing a kiss against his temple and telling him that she'd see him the next day. Romanoff had settled him wordlessly beside her and had simply covered him up and had gone to sleep. Peter had followed suit only moments later.

Now she was looking down at him, her expression pleased.

"Good morning."

"Hey."

He lifted his head, turning in time to see that Dr. Strange was rebandaging his hip.

"It looks good, Peter," Strange told him, hitching his pajamas up, carefully. "I'd say it's safe for you to move around a little. As far as your sofa, anyway."

Peter nodded, closed his eyes and put his head back against Natasha's collarbone.

"Thanks, Dr. Strange."

"You're welcome. I'll be back sometime tonight or tomorrow to check on him, Tony. Don't let him move around more than he really needs to. We don't want him overdoing things this time."

"We'll keep an eye on him," Tony promised.

"Good. You know where to find me if you need me."

The doctor left. Peter didn't actually see him go, but he felt the tingle of magic, and then didn't feel the humming of the cloak in his mind, which told him the relic had left with Strange.

"Are you ready for breakfast, Peter?"

"No. I'm sleepy."

He heard Natasha chuckle, and shift under him.

"I need to get up, baby. I'm going to turn you over to Tony, okay?"

"Yeah." He moved just enough to let her move, but he still didn't open his eyes. "Thanks, Natasha."

He knew that she was making a sacrifice, sleeping in his bed with him like she was, and he appreciated it. He felt her fingers brush his cheek.

"You're welcome. I'll check in with you guys, later."

Natasha left and Peter felt Tony join him on the bed beside him – although Stark didn't cover up. He felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder.

"Are you going to go back to sleep?"

"Is Pepper here?"

"Yes. She'll be by in a bit to check on you before she leaves."

"I'll stay awake, then." He could sleep later, he knew. He also knew that if he didn't want to fall asleep, he'd need to open his eyes. So he did. Stark was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, clearly not dressed to go to any meetings that day. Peter wondered if him being hurt was interfering with Tony's regular schedule. He didn't know what he'd planned on doing that week, but the boy was certain that it hadn't included what amounted to baby-sitting – and he was groggy enough that he asked. "Am I keeping you from doing something important?"

Stark frowned.

"You must know by now that there isn't anything more important to me than you."

Peter did know. Tony was pretty clear about it, after all.

"You know what I mean. I can be alone. I'm not sick, and not delirious or anything. I'm not going to wander off if left unattended. If you need to be somewhere – or if Pepper needs you for something, I'll be okay by myself."

"You're more interesting than board meetings."

Peter snorted.

"Does that mean you're missing a board meeting?"

"If I were, it would be because I want to," Tony told him. "Not because of you. You're just a handy excuse."

"But-"

Stark held up a hand to stop him.

"Look. Peter. I'm new at the dad thing, you know that. If I'm going a little overboard, it's probably to be expected. I'm also still pretty new at putting others before myself, and you know that, too. Just bear with me, okay? And indulge me. Right now, with you hurt, I need to be with you. Maybe you don't need me here quite so much, and I'm stifling you, but I'm still selfish enough to do it, anyway. At least for another day. Okay?"

"If you're sure."

"I am."

"You am what?"

They both turned and saw Pepper standing in Peter's doorway.

"I am the winner from yesterday's online scavenger hunt," Tony said, smoothly.

She crossed the room and settled herself on the edge of Peter's bed, brushing her hand against his forehead.

"I thought I was the judge of that."

"You are. I was just thinking that in the interest of saving you time, I'd –"

"I have the papers with me," she interrupted, holding her bag and giving him an amused look. "Happy is going to help me go through them, and tonight, with proper pomp and ceremony, I will announce the winner."

Peter smiled at Tony's annoyed look and pulled himself upright, feeling the familiar tinge of annoyance from his hip – although maybe it wasn't as bad as it had been.

"What did Stephen say?" Pepper asked.

"Peter's hip looks good. He can get out of bed and sit on his couch – but no further, for now."

"That's a good start. What are you guys going to do today, then?"

"Peter seems to think that I should go to a board meeting."

She frowned.

"We don't have a board meeting today."

"See?" Stark said to Peter. "I don't have a board meeting, today. Instead, he and I are going to sit around on the couch, playing video games, eating junk food and scratching ourselves."

Pepper shook her head.

"Walk me to the car?"

"Of course."

Tony got out of Peter's bed and she leaned over and kissed him.

"If he drives you crazy today, just call me and I'll tell him to stop."

"I'm not going to drive him crazy," Stark assured her, taking her bag from her with a wink at the boy. "But I might challenge him to some 3-D chess and see if I can beat him. He's not good at it, yet."

"Neither are you."

"That's irrelevant. Peter? I'll be back in a minute. Decide what you want for breakfast, and what you want to do today. Once I get momma off to work, we can get ourselves into some trouble."

They left and Peter dragged himself out of his bed, as well. He was shaky and tired, but knew it was from being stuck in bed for so long. He ignored the ache in his side, stopped in the bathroom and then pulled a blanket from his bed and dragged it to the sofa. If he was going to be allowed to leave the bed, then he was going to take advantage of it before anyone could change their minds.

He sat down with a tired sigh, worn out just from the short walk and leaning just a little away from the wounded hip. He covered up, even though his quarters weren't at all chilly, and reached for the remote control.

By the time Tony returned from the garage, the boy was asleep again.