"How's it going out here?"

Tony had to look up when he asked, since the two teens were up on hydraulic lifts, industriously scrubbing the Quinjet with cleaners and power sprayers. They were both soaked from the spray of water coming off the jet, but it was a sunny day so they were hardly suffering.

They turned off their sprayers, looking down at him – and the pig that he was cradling in his arm.

"Are you sure I can't be a cook's helper with Shuri and Ned?" Peter asked. "She's probably feeling like Cinderella in there."

Tony didn't look at all concerned.

"You burned down a cooking school."

"You helped."

"Which is why I'm not in the kitchen, either."

Peter grinned at that but he knew it wasn't completely true. He wasn't completely hopeless in the kitchen, really. Helping in the lounge kitchen, occasionally, had given him more exposure to the workings of a meal and preparing them. He knew that he was up on the lift because MJ had looked hopeful about being on a lift and using the sprayers and Tony (and Pepper and the others) didn't want her up doing something that was potentially dangerous without someone close at hand. Someone who wasn't an adult and seemingly hovering. Someone who could react if she fell off, or something, by simply shooting some webbing to stop her – if for some reason the safety belt she was wearing failed.

Someone like Peter, of course.

"Better to be out here in the sunshine," MJ said to Peter, wiping water from her face with an already wet hand. "Than be stuck inside."

She was thoroughly enjoying herself and not trying to hide it. They had been home from Wakanda for only two weeks when Shuri had called her (and Ned and Peter) to advise them that the gems they'd left with the jewelers were all cut and polished and in the mounts that had been requested. All that remained was to get payments to the craftsmen (and women) who had worked on them.

"I can pay for them and you can pay me back, "Shuri had offered.

MJ had smiled, however, and had shaken her head.

"We're going out to the compound this weekend," she'd told Shuri. "The Avengers have some work that we can do to make the money we need."

"Are you spending the weekend?"

"I think so."

Since they'd been back a couple of weeks, she knew that her parents (and Ned's) wouldn't mind being abandoned for a weekend. Even if they weren't told why they were going, as Ned and MJ both wanted to surprise them with the gifts they'd commissioned.

"Perhaps I will see if I can come, as well," the princess had told MJ with a cheerful smile – proving that she wasn't too worried about someone vetoing the idea.

The compound was secure, after all.

"I think it'd be a great idea. If your brother lets you?"

Another smile.

"He will probably ask if he can come as well. He says Nakia and my mother are driving him crazy with their preparations for his wedding."

MJ smiled, too.

"Are they?"

"Absolutely."

OOOOOOOOO

Shuri had been allowed out. She wasn't going to stay the night; she had things that she needed to do at home, but even though she had all that she needed to pay the jewelry craftspeople for the products they were making for her (including a very handsome bracelet for her brother), she was willing to work with her friends while they earned what they needed.

In deference to the fact that Wakanda only had one princess, she wasn't allowed up on the lift to help wash the Quinjet. Luckily, she wasn't upset by that and had readily agreed to be kitchen helper with Ned. As she'd reminded them, just because she was Peter's girlfriend, it didn't mean that they were joined at the hip and couldn't do things separately.

Which was good considering how far apart they lived from each other.

They'd already been working when Wong had created the portal for Shuri, but there weren't very many flowerbeds at the compound and weeding them hadn't taken long. Moving on to bigger and better projects had left Ned and Shuri in the kitchen and lounge and Peter and MJ getting a lesson in how to use the hydraulic lifts and the pressure washers (which he already knew, but listened anyway) and then handed all the cleaners and brushes needed to make sure the jet gleamed.

"See, son? It's better to be out in the sunshine than inside washing dishes."

"Ned isn't washing dishes," MJ said, before Peter could reply. "He and Shuri are peeling potatoes and helping get dinner prepped."

"Which isn't even close to as much fun as washing an airplane," Stark pointed out. Then he pointed to a section of the underbelly, somewhat between the two lifts. "You missed a spot, by the way."

Twin sprays of water shot out at him, and he wasn't quick enough to avoid either – although he did manage to turn enough to protect Ironpig from most of the deluge.

"Why don't you go pester someone else?" Peter asked, cheerfully, despite the words and the faux-annoyed tone he was using. "She could probably put you to work, somewhere."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Wong was in the lounge with Natasha, sitting at the corner table, when Tony walked into the room. Neither missed the pig in his arms or the fact that both of them were damp.

"How are they doing?" Romanoff asked, her expression amused.

It probably had something to do with the droplets of water that were precariously clinging to Stark's hairline.

"They're being teenagers," he said, walking over to the table and sitting down, but setting Ironpig on the floor so the piglet could go see what Nutmeg was doing. Since the Flerkin kitten was sprawled in a sunbeam taking a nap and ignoring the people around him it wasn't very interesting. "They sprayed me."

"What did you say to them?"

"Nothing. I just went out to check on them."

"Uh-huh."

"When will Pepper be back?" Wong asked, curiously.

Pepper had had an errand to run in the city that didn't require Tony to go with her. He could have gone, but with the compound having not only Peter but Shuri, Ned, and MJ, it was only fair to stay near at hand in case something happened. The Avengers and SHIELD agents who were at the compound hadn't invited the kids out and shouldn't have to keep an eye on them.

"She's on her way back, now."

"How did she do?" Romanoff asked.

Stark shrugged.

"A hundred grand."

Natasha's eyes widened, since she didn't bother to hide her surprise.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. There's a geologist at NYU who has an affinity for rare metals, and there isn't anything rarer than vibranium, is there?"

Ned's small chunk of high grade vibranium had been refined in the traditional manner of Wakanda and was sent to Tony who handed it over to Pepper to put out feelers to see if there would be any interest in purchasing it. Since she had a far more impressive network than Facebook or Ebay to use, she'd volunteered to work on the sale – and had jokingly waived any sellers fees.

Not surprisingly, considering how rare vibranium was, there were many interested in owning something that so rarely comes up for sale. Even a piece of vibranium that was too small to be useful for anything beyond simply putting it in a display and gawking at it.

"That'll help the college fund."

Tony nodded at that.

"A kid as smart as he is? He'll get a full ride wherever he decides to go. But yeah. It was a lucky find." He smirked and looked at Romanoff. "Might want to rethink the whole dating a sorcerer thing. Ned could be your sugar daddy when he gets older."

Wong snorted so hard it made Ironpig and Nutmeg both look over at the table, and Natasha had to choke down a guffaw.

"I'm good."

"Hey, Tony."

The two men were startled by Ned's sudden arrival into the lounge from the kitchen. Natasha had seen him coming.

"Hey, Ned."

"How are Peter and MJ doing?"

"Almost done, I think. What are you working on?"

"Shuri is finishing the last potatoes. I'm going to start dishes. Jalen says we're done for the day after that. She doesn't have anything else for us to do, right now."

"Sounds good." Tony looked at Wong. "We'll plan to send Shuri back in an hour or so. Are you going to stick around?"

"Sure."

He'd cleared the afternoon to make the portals needed since Stephen wasn't available since he was in London. It gave him a chance to spend some time with the Avengers and with Peter – and the boy's friends, to a lesser extent. Time that he enjoyed, although he was (purposefully) more aloof and mysterious.

The billionaire turned to Ned.

"Back to work, young man. Those dishes aren't going to wash themselves."

Ned rolled his eyes, but he grinned and gave a somewhat mocking bow.

"As you wish."

He walked away and Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"You're not going to tell him about the hundred grand?"

"Do you want to do the dishes?"

"No."

"Then I'll let Pepper tell him, later. After they're done."

Both of the others smiled at that.

"Sneaky."

Tony didn't deny it.

"We'll call it a life lesson."

THE END

OOOOOOOOO

Hey all, thanks for reading and being so patient about how slow I was getting it out. Family stuff is taking the forefront right now but I haven't forgotten this AU and won't forget it. Working out ideas for the next story – which won't be T'Challa's wedding, yet, just so you know. Hope those of you who are moms or single parents had a good Mother's Day and I can be found on my discord or simply send a PM if you're wanting to chat or ask a question or make a suggestion. Thanks!