AN: Still here, guys. Sorry it's taking so long. That which has had me so distracted and kept me from writing as regularly is getting better and I appreciate your patience with my slow updates. Hope your new year is treating you well!

OOOOOOOOOOO

Despite the fact that it was very late, they weren't in any hurry to go to bed that evening. Not with the surprise addition of Azoru and his cousins in the camp. M'Baku was a nice guy; he was always polite and a carefully proper host when it was his position to be, but he wasn't a teenager, now was he? They sat around the main fire long into the evening, even after dinner was eaten and the guides and most of the guards had separated to work on tasks for the next day or to check in with their superiors on the events of the day – and to remind everyone that they were going to be moving to the Jabari lands the next day.

A reminder that wasn't really needed but the Wakandans were easily as thorough as SHIELD when it came to their charges.

Shuri had left a little after dinner to go and check in with her mother (and maybe her brother if he wasn't busy) but Peter hadn't left to call Tony and Pepper since a glance at his watch told him that they should still be at the tower.

"What are we going to do in the village, tomorrow?" Ned asked. "Will we see Jad?"

Ned had met the Jabari chieftain at the celebration that had been in the city in honor of Peter, after all, and was pleased that he was going to be able to run into someone he knew. A few someones, even, since he'd met many of the others from the tribe who had attended.

"They are anticipating our arrival by nightfall," Azoru assured him – and the others. "We stopped by on our way here to make sure they did not need anything for your visit."

"And to see Anise," Bartel added, looking smug at the way Azoru rolled his eyes.

Peter didn't miss the gesture – and he realized he recognized the name.

"Jad's granddaughter Anise?" he asked. "The one who was at the clan gathering?"

"The same." Azoru didn't blush, and his expression was pleased that Peter remembered her. "I have been seeing her."

"As in girlfriend/boyfriend?" Ned asked, interested.

"Yes."

"As in she is all we have heard of for the last month or so," Mavik said, smirking. "It is sickening."

"I am not that bad," Azoru said.

"She's nice," Peter told him, smiling and glad he was on the other side of being teased about a girl he liked. "Do your parents approve?"

He knew it wasn't, strictly, a rule that they did, but if Anise was going to become something serious and maybe even marry Azoru, then she would end up moving to the Gorilla City to be with him and that meant it was a good idea to be on good terms with the in-laws.

"Approve of what?" Shuri asked, walking back into the light of the fire just in time to hear the question.

"Of who," Ned corrected, grinning. "Azoru's got a girlfriend."

"Anise?" the princess asked, sitting down beside Peter, her arm sliding around his waist, but looking at Azoru.

"You know?"

"I have spoken with her a few times, yes." Shuri looked smug. "She is a good choice."

Azoru preened, pleased that Shuri approved.

"Yes."

"Have you asked for her hand, yet?"

"Not yet."

"Is that like proposing?" Ned asked.

"Yes."

"Are we invited to the wedding?"

Azoru smiled, holding up his hand.

"We are not there, yet," he told them all. "But when it happens, you will be invited, of course."

"Wow." Ned looked impressed – and a little awed. He was way too young to be thinking about getting married, and Azoru was only a couple of years older than he was. And yeah, Peter was technically engaged to Shuri, but they weren't going to be getting married until Peter was out of college, and that was years away, really. "You're not nervous?"

Azoru's smile widened, and he shrugged, trying for nonchalance.

"Sometimes."

OOOOOOOOOO

"Hello, son, how fares Wakanda?"

"It's great, as always." Peter was in the tent, now, with Ned. They'd chatted with the others until the guides had reminded the teens that they were going to be getting them up early the next morning to begin their journey to the Jabari lands and that maybe they should go to bed. Azoru and his cousins had their own tent which they retired to, and Peter and Ned had walked MJ and Shuri to theirs before heading for their own. A quick glance at his watch told him that it was late enough that Tony and Pepper should be available, so Peter called to check in – and wasn't surprised when the call was answered – but was a little surprised that it was Pepper who answered Tony's phone. "How was your day?"

"Lonely without you," Pepper told him, smiling slightly so that he'd know she wasn't seriously pining away at his absence and needed to come home, immediately. "We came home early and were going to call you in a bit."

"Beat you to it," he told her. "Where's Tony?"

"Looking for a mouse."

"Did Jack bring another one into the compound?"

Pepper's smile turned into a soft amused snort.

"Wrong kind of mouse. This one is for a computer in the command center."

"They lost a mouse?" Ned asked, curiously, looking over Peter's shoulder at her. He'd changed for bed and was going to call his mom and check in, too, but was always willing to stick his nose into a conversation between Peter and Tony (and, in this case, Pepper). "How?"

"They didn't lose it," Pepper replied. "Someone's yellow kitty is on video sneaking in and stealing it, earlier. And breaking a coffee cup."

Peter's expression affected shock and dismay.

"Did we get another yellow kitty?"

"Just the one," came Tony's voice, and he was suddenly looking over Pepper's shoulder. Peter could see that he had Ironpig in his arm. The piglet was wearing a red and gold sweater. "Nice try, though."

"Who do I owe for the coffee cup?" Peter asked, smiling a greeting.

"It was Rich's," came the reply. "He said he got it at the dollar store, so no big deal."

"I'll bring him home a souvenir," the boy told him. "We're going to the Jabari lands, tomorrow. I'll see if Jad has anyone that makes coffee cups, or something."

"Azoru's here," Ned told them. "He's going to go with us to the village."

"Did he come in with M'Baku?" Pepper asked.

She and Tony knew the itinerary by heart, after all – and who was supposed to be coming into contact with their son and his friends.

"M'Baku was called to the capitol," Peter told them. "Azoru wanted to come anyway, so he'll be our guide there – with Bartel and Mavik."

"He wanted to see Anise," Ned added, unable to help himself. It was hard to suppress good gossip, after all, and he was always keeping secrets, so it was fun when something was safe to share. "His girlfriend."

"She isn't a shapeshifter, is she?" Tony asked with a slight smirk.

Not something to bring up with Azoru, of course, but still something he couldn't stop from asking.

"She was at the gathering," Peter told them. "But I'll let you know."

There wasn't any concern about that, obviously, but they were all smiling.

"You do that," Tony told him. "Do you need anything?"

"No. Have you heard from Natasha and them?"

"I have and they are fine. They'd probably be home by now, but they want to show Barnes the ropes, or introduce him to some of the people down there, or something. She told me they should be home before you guys are."

"Good." He smiled. "I better get to bed," he said, reluctant to end the call so soon, but knowing they would agree. "We're getting up early and I don't want to sleep on the way to the village."

No sense sleeping through part of a safari when you could sleep at night when everyone else was.

"Good night, son."

"Night."

"Nigh, Ned," Pepper added, making the other boy smile, cheerfully.

"Night, guys."

The call ended and Peter set his phone aside.

"They look like they're doing okay."

"Yeah." Ned held up his cell. "Now we'll call my mom and remind her that we're still alive."

Peter rolled his eyes.

"You've sent her a million pictures; she knows you're still alive."

"Maybe I'll tell her I've found a cute Wakandan girl and I'm going to ask her to marry me."

His friend grinned.

"That's worth staying up for."