After airport fights and cruel words, after damning videos and a thousand other unforgivable things, there was an olive branch. It was a sickly thing with singed, drooping leaves but it lay between them. Peter can’t recall who was the first to extend it but he remembers walking into the Avengers compound some random Friday afternoon to find that Mr.Stark was not alone. As Peter took in the awkward, self-conscious hunch of Captain Rogers’ shoulders and the wide smile on Mr. Stark's face as they were surrounded by people whose posters Peter had on his wall he had the sudden knowledge that he would not find Mr. Stark alone again. And Peter could not have been more glad.
Mr. Stark introduced him to the Avengers, because while they have more members and scars between them they are a team once again, as his intern that day which Peter appreciated. He wanted another chance at a first impression that didn’t include unforgiving fists and even less forgiving words. It does include him tripping over his words and over his feet and wishing he could have a third, way cooler, first impression. Mr. Stark keeps his arm around his shoulders the whole time and laughs harder than he has the entire time he’s known him and Peter doesn’t wish for a redo for long.
Things weren’t perfect. Mr.Stark had dark circles under his eyes more days than not and Peter could feel the tense atmosphere whenever he came over though they always kept things civil for his sake. Things weren’t perfect, but they were trying. Mr. Stark still tensed when Seargent Barnes entered a room and he wouldn’t let Peter be around him, but he let him stay at the compound. Captain Rogers still argued against the accords, but he agreed to sign the new, modified version without (much) complaint. They bit their tongues, swallowed their egos, and compromised. The Avengers may have all fallen off their cracking pedestals in Peter’s mind months ago, but he can’t help but think that this is what being a hero looks like.
With all the craziness of what the media has dubbed the “civil war”- which Peter thinks is a bit dramatic- it was easy to forget that there is apparently a kingdom in Africa full of crazy alien metals with a king that dresses up in a magic catsuit. Peter didn’t have much interaction with King T’challa at the airport in Germany but it was enough to decide that he was awesome. Those warrior ladies were pretty incredible too. Peter hadn’t thought much more about it in light of more pressing events until Mr. Stark asked him to go to Wakanda with him. Mr. Stark had apparently been invited as a representative of both the scientific and hero communities and Peter could tell he was excited by the way he seemed to vibrate in that over-caffinated way of his. Tony insisted that Peter, as his “favorite spider-child intern,” was obligated to accompany him. Mr. Stark had already gotten permission from Aunt May and Peter couldn’t agree fast enough.
Now, two weeks later and soaring through the air in one of Mr. Stark’s jets, Peter thinks maybe some hesitation would have been wise. It’s not that Peter doesn’t want to go, he is still thrilled beyond belief, but the impracticality of it all is catching up to him. He’s a random 16-year-old kid flying with a genius billionaire superhero to go visit the warrior king of, arguably, the most powerful country on the planet. What in the world is he doing here? I mean sure he’s’ spider-man and he is technically Mr.Stark’s intern but it all still feels a little surreal. He can barely keep his feet under him on a good day, how is he going to keep from making a fool of himself in front of royalty?
They arrive sooner than Peter is really prepared for and he tries to steel himself before exiting. Mr.Stark seems to sense his unease because he grips a hand on his shoulder and talks about nothing and everything as they land. It helps, if only to know that Mr.Stark has his back and truly thinks he deserves to be here. The jet settles on some strange platform and Peter allows himself to look out the window for the first time. It’s even more spectacular than he imagined. They exit the plane and are greeted by a handful of the Dora Milaje, which he now knows them to be called, and King T’Challa himself. Tony gives his shoulder one final squeeze before walking a little ahead to greet them.
“Your Highness! Good to see you again, and under much better circumstances. Thank you for welcoming us into your home.” Mr. Stark says, signature glasses and smirk firmly in place, like another suit of armor.
“Mr. Stark, the pleasure is all mine. Please, follow me and I will show you where you will be staying.” King T’Challa shoots a glance over Mr. Stark’s shoulder to lock his curious gaze on Peter. “And the accommodations for your guest as well, of course.”
Peter internally withers. Mr. Stark didn’t tell them he was coming. He can tell by the almost imperceptible way Mr. Stark freezes that he just realized his mistake. He only hesitates for a second before he steps backward to clasp Peter on the shoulder once more. Peter tries not to visibly shrink under the sudden attention.
“My apologies, I must have forgotten to mention my intern was accompanying me. I hope it’s not too much trouble.” Mr. Stark’s tone, while apologetic, also holds a challenge. He won’t be staying if Peter can’t and Peter feels his cheeks warm without his consent.
“Not at all,” King T’chall states, with no hostility, “We’ll have a room prepared for him at once.” People are moving before he’s finished speaking and Peter can’t help but feel a little in awe.
“Great!” Mr. Stark exclaims with a loud clap of his hands before he uses them to subtly shove Peter towards the king. “Peter, this is King T’challa. Your Highness, meet Peter Parker, my personal intern and protege. He’s one of the brightest kids you’ll ever meet.”
Peter shoots a quick glare at Mr. Stark’s unrepentant face before grinning awkwardly at King T’Challa. Is he supposed to bow? Is it worse to not bow and possibly be disrespectful or to bow unnecessarily and be mocked by Mr. Stark for the rest of his life? Mr. Stark didn’t bow. He’s going with not bowing. He sticks out a clumsy, clammy hand instead.
“It’s so awesome to officially meet you Mr. Black Panther King T’Challa, sir. You have a very beautiful kingdom.”
Mr. Stark doesn’t actually facepalm but it’s a close thing and King T’Challa’s face practically lights up as he graciously takes his fumbling hand and thankfully doesn’t comment on his little slip-up. He should not have unofficially met him either.
“It is wonderful to meet you as well Mr. Parker. It will be interesting to have another bright young mind in the castle and Shuri is sure to love you.” he continues on before Peter has a chance to ask who Shuri is. “And please, you both must call me T’Challa, though your use of my honorifics was quite amusing.” And with that, he turns and begins walking toward the castle behind him.
Peter pauses for a moment before stumbling after him and Mr. Stark finally lets loose the laugh he’d been holding in.
“At least you didn’t bow, kid.” Tony chuckles and Peter glares at him from the corner of his eye.
It is on their third day in Wakanda that Peter meets Princess Shuri. His days have been spent trying to fly under the radar in meetings with powerful people. It is fascinating to watch Tony interact with them all. He is still undeniably “Tony Stark” but not the way he is with Peter. The signature swagger is there for all to see but few will notice the steel in his eyes as he argues policy and politics. Peter tries to pay attention but by the third day, his notebook is full of more equations and doodles than actual notes.
They break for lunch and Peter tells Mr. Stark he’s going to spend his getting some fresh air. Mr. Stark grimaces knowingly and shoos him away with a laugh and a call to escape while he still can. Peter grabs an interesting-looking sandwich and flees with a laugh of his own.
He finds the perfect spot on a bench shaped like a tree and scarfs down his sandwich while reading back over the problem he’s working on. If he can figure out what it’s missing he can triple the tensile strength of his web fluid. If he can’t figure it out by the end of the day he’ll get Mr. Stark’s opinion on it tonight. They hadn’t spent much time one-on-one since they arrived and it’d be a good excuse to get some quality time with him. Peter is fully engrossed in his calculations when a voice from behind makes him jump.
“You’re forgetting to calibrate for adjusted density.” The voice states and Peter flinches. So much for his Spider-Sense.
Peter whips around to see a girl about his age smirking over his shoulder. Her hair is done up in elaborate braids and her clothes are modern and colorful. Peter smiles broadly.
“You’re absolutely right! I think I’ve just been staring at this for too long. Either that or sitting in stuffy meetings all day is melting my brain.”
“Yes, it took me years to convince my brother that his meetings are better off without me. Years and several intentional minor disasters.”
This must be the Shuri King T’Challa had mentioned. Peter laughs, flushes, and looks down at his notes as an excuse to collect himself. Of course, he managed to mess up an equation and practically insult her brother in one fell swoop. He knew he couldn’t go the full week without putting his foot in his mouth. Once he’s confident his face has returned to its normal shade he looks back up at Princess Shuri to find her still grinning, obviously waiting for him to continue the conversation.
“You must be Princess Shuri! It’s an honor to meet you! The meetings really aren’t bad at all! I have learned a lot and am so honored to be here and-”
Shuri cuts off his rambling with a laugh.
“Oh calm down. I know perfectly well how boring T’Challa’s meetings can be. I’m impressed you’ve lasted this long.” Shuri says. Peter decides to roll with it.
“Yah well luckily Mr. Stark can make anything more entertaining. I’m sure my brain would have leaked out of my ears by now if not for him.” Pete chuckles. Shuri raises an interested eyebrow.
“You’re here with Tony Stark? My brother had mentioned he had brought an intern but I hadn’t expected you to be so… young.” Peter flushes once more at her tone and rubs the back of his neck self-consciously.
“Yeah. I get that a lot.” Peter shrugs.
“Are going to tell me your name or am I just supposed to guess?”
“Oh!” Peter fumbles, “I’m Peter. Peter Parker.”
“Well, Peter, I am very hot. How about we head inside and I show you something far more interesting than a meeting.”
Peter hesitates. He told Mr. Stark that he’d be back in the meeting after lunch. But surely he wouldn’t mind? He hadn’t exactly been contributing much.
“I’m melting here white boy, are you coming or not?” Peter makes up his mind.
Shuri’s lab, though he feels guilty admitting it, is even more incredible than Mr. Stark’s. Gadgets and tech that Peter could only dream fills up the giant room and he can do nothing but gape for several moments as Shuri laughs at him. She seems to do that a lot.
Over the next couple of hours, Shuri shows him several of the projects she’s working on. She even lets him try out some Vibranium weapons she’s developing. In return, Peter gives her some background on the formula he was working on. He stumbles over a half-truth of why he’d be working on webs for Spider-Man but she doesn’t call him out on it. She helps him finish the formula and they’re in the process of actually planning out a prototype when T’Challa and Mr. Stark find them.
Tony looks slightly frazzled and King T’Challa simply looks tiredly resigned. Tony relaxes when he spots Peter but T’Challa does not. They both stride over to where they’re bent over their experiment. Mr. Stark grasps his shoulder and grins at him and Peter smiles shyly back. He hopes Mr. Stark isn’t mad that he never returned. Shuri glances up at her brother before returning to their simulation. T’Challa rolls his eyes.
“Hey, kiddo! I was wondering where you disappeared to. Having fun?” Mr. Stark asks.
“Yah Mr. Stark! This place is unbelievable! And Shuri helped me with this problem I was stuck on with m- er, Spider-Man’s web fluid and now we’re seeing if it works in more than just theory. But I’m sorry I left without letting you know! I promise I’ll be there tomorrow!”
“Shuri has a habit of causing trouble.” T’Challa chuckles. Shuri sticks her tongue out at him.
“No worries, Pete. Trust me, I’d much rather be here than in those meetings myself. There’s really no reason to trap you in there with me except for my own sanity. You can hang out with the Princess for as long as you two want.”
Peter’s smile falters. Crap! He screwed up! He disappointed Mr. Stark by not coming to the meeting and now he doesn’t want him there anymore. He’s barely hung out with Mr. Stark and now he won’t even see him in meetings.
“Oh no, I really don’t mind Mr. Stark! I really am sorry I didn’t come back today and I understand if you’re mad but-”
“Whoa whoa whoa Underoos! I’m not mad. I just know you have to be even more bored than I am and I’d be much happier knowing you’re having fun.”
“Oh,” Peter says lamely.
“Yeah, kid. I know I haven’t given you much of my time this week but I hope you’d know by now that I’d never be mad at you for doing exactly what I’ve wanted to do since we arrived.”
“Why don’t the two of you join my family for dinner tonight? The rest of our guests can amuse themselves for one night. I think a break would be welcome for all of us.” T’Challa chips in. Peter had almost forgotten that he and Shuri were standing there.
“That sounds wonderful, Your Highness,” Tony answers. “If the two of you don’t mind I think I’ll steal my intern away until then.”
“See you later Peter. We can finish our project tomorrow.” Shuri says with a wave before turning to say something to her brother. T’Challa just nods understandingly.
Mr. Stark practically drags Peter out of the lab and down the twisting halls to their rooms. He gives Peter a snarky summary of what Peter missed that afternoon and Peter feels himself relaxing once he realizes Tony truly isn’t upset with him. When they arrive at Tony’s room they sit and Tony pesters him for details about everything he saw and tinkered with in the Princess’ lab. They chat for an hour or two until someone knocks on the door to notify them that dinner is being served.
Peter runs to his room to throw on a different shirt and comb through his hair and meets Mr. Stark in the hall who seems to have had the same idea. They walk to a more private, but no less grand, meal space than the one they had eaten the last few days, in comfortable silence. They arrive to find that T’Challa, Shuri, and their mother had beaten them there. Shuri and T’Challa are mock-fighting about some sort of update to the Black Panther suit as Queen Ramonda sips at her wine with a tired look on her face. This is obviously not the first time such a scene has taken place and Peter can’t help but laugh. His snort announces their presence in the room and T’Challa and Queen Ramonda straighten while Shuri just rolls her eyes and grabs a roll from the table.
“Come and join us!” T’Challa beckons and so they do.
Dinner starts out wonderfully. Mr. Stark and Shuri talk theory and get wrapped up in technobabble. Peter adds his own comments in between answering Queen Ramonda’s and T’Challa’s questions about his life and how he came to know Tony. Peter manages to stick to the story he, Tony, and Aunt May had concocted until Shuri stops her debate with Tony to add in a question of her own.
“Did your internship begin before or after you became Spider-Man?” She asks suddenly and with feigned innocence.
Mr. Stark’s smile freezes on his face and T’Challa chokes on his sip of wine. Queen Ramonda pats his back half-heartedly as the tired look returns to her eyes. Peter feels a bead of sweat roll down his neck before he gets a hold of himself. Why should he worry? She obviously already knows and he trusts them not to share his secret. They’re heroes, and ones living nowhere close to where he operates no less. There’s no reason to freak out. He straightens his spine and smiles.
“After.” He says, barely missing a beat. “He found me for my Spider Skills and kept me around for my glowing personality.”
Shuri laughs loudly and Mr. Stark turns to him looking more surprised than he’s ever seen him. T’Challa and Queen Ramonda sigh in unison. Mr. Stark recovers first.
“That and the kid is a genius. He’ll be giving me a run for my money any day now.”
“That isn’t hard to achieve old man. That suit of yours is practically a relic. I’ve been dealing with nanotechnology before I hit double digits.” Shuri snarks and the two of them are off once more.
Peter sighs in relief that his identity reveal went as well as it could and returns to his meal. He feels T’Challa’s eyes on him but waits for the King to speak.
“You fought with the strength and honor of someone far beyond your years Peter. I am pleased to call you an ally. You are always welcome here.” T’Challa says solemnly before cracking a smile. “Maybe you can distract Shuri from insulting me and my suit. I’m sure she already has plenty of ideas for upgrades.”
“You’re right brother, but I wouldn’t count on catching a break. I can make fun of both of you equally- I am an expert multitasker.” Shuri throws at her brother.
“You’re crazy if you think I’m letting you anywhere near my suit Princess.” Tony scoffs.
“Then I will just have to make him a new one.” Shuri rebuts.
Peter's face breaks into a grin that only grows when Tony shoots him a wink across the table. He’d never in a million years believe that Iron Man and a Princess would be bickering over him. Or that he’d ever have a chance to meet let alone befriend either of them. This was certainly a trip he’d never forget.