Broodmare

----

Natasha found Thor sitting on a cliff looking off into the distance where a storm was brewing over a small town that had been hit by a drought. It brought a smile to her face. ‘At least he’s putting his brooding to go use.’

She sat beside him and nudged him playfully. “I didn’t think you controlled the weather.”

“Nay, Lady Natasha. Tis not the weather I control as Lady Storm does. But where there is lightning to ignite the sky so come a lowered barometric pressure that precipitates precipitation.”

“Huh. I didn’t think you’d know that.”

Thor let out a small laugh. “That is, as Dr. Banner and our dear Consultant would say ‘SCIENCE’.”

“Indeed it is.” She agreed and allowed a comfortable silence to fall over them as predicted by Thor, the clouds turned grey, the thunder rolled, and the rain began to fall. She watched as the residents opened their doors and stood in the rain. Children ran into their backyards twirling and giggling and running. The long drought was over, and soon their crops would flourish and the river beds would rise.

After a few minutes Thor turned to her and smiled. “Tis there a reason that thou hast come to this quaint corner of Nevada, so far from thy S.H.I.E.L.D. to join me?”

Natasha let out a sigh. “Yes, actually. We have a mission. Fury has no details. All he knows is that the Black Panther has requested our presence in Wakanda.”

Thor turned to her sharply. “I am intrigued.”

Natasha snorted. “You aren’t the only one.”

“Is there naught anything thou doth know?”

“Just that T’Challa asked for each of us by name.”

Thor nodded. “Shall I meet thee at Wakanda? Or wouldst thou rather I join thee on thy primitive ‘Quinjet’.”

Natasha smirked. “Quinjet, please. I don’t think the Wakanda Air Force will take to kindly to a Norse God showing up on their radar.”

Thor shrugged. “Then the quinjet it tis.” They both looked on in the distance as the townsfolk settled on their front porches in their rockers and their porch swings or their patio furniture to watch the storm.

“Whenst doth thou needst my presence?”

Natasha looked at her watch and winced. “Four hours. You think that’s long enough--”

Thor chuckled. “Shant be long before that storm is drawn to it’s own ilk.” He pointed to the left of the town where there was a storm flowing over the plain. “I’ll be there once the two storms coalesce into one and I can ensure that they not overstay their welcome.”

Natasha looked at him with great affection. He was like the overprotective sibling she had never wanted. “Won’t you need time to collect your belongings?”

“Nay,” he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Mine possessions art with me.” And they were. There was a large dark green duffle bag filled with all his Midgardian possessions not far away with Mjolnir sitting atop of it.

Natasha looked at him gravely. “Were you planning on leaving?”

“Nay… not without warning anyway. I find myself at loose ends. Perhaps seeing more of Midgard will bring my weary soul some peace.”

She patted his shoulder as she rose to her feet and dusted herself off. “It takes time Thor, and maybe keeping busy until it either makes sense, or you make peace with it.”

Thor nodded sagely. “I shall be there before thy departure, on my honor.”

“See ya, Thor.” She squeezed his shoulder before walking. Once she was back at the quinjet she stopped to admire the beauty of Thor manipulating the wind and the air as she pulled out her cellphone and dialed a familiar number.

“Hello?”

“Hope?”

“Hey, Natasha! What’s going on?” Hope asked as she slipped out of the house and onto the patio.

“Not much… am I interrupting a party or something?”

Hope let out a small amused huff. “Not a party so much as Scott playing tag with Cassie and her friends in his suit at their size to make it fair.”

“Ha, that must be a sight.”

“Oh, it is.” She turned around and the group of girls and Scott were pressing their faces into the patio glass door making faces and tapping it get her attention. She’s sure Scott was making kissy faces even if she couldn’t see his face itself.

“I hate to break up a party, but we have a mission.”

Hope thumbed through her ever present tablet. “Huh? Really? I’m not seeing anything on the news--”

“It’s not news. Not yet at least.”

“Is it bad?”

Natasha hesitated. “We don’t actually know, to be perfectly honest. All we really know is that his Majesty T’Challa has asked for the aid of specific Avengers.”

“And he asked me and Scott?” She asked incredulously.

Natasha let out a short chuckle. “You two are actually very helpful, don’t be so down on yourselves.”

“It’s not that. It’s just.. The King of a major country as specifically asked for specific Avengers; and somehow Scotty and I made the final cut… It’s an honor and…” she turned around and the kids and Scott were now dancing in front of the door. Scott’s dancing was markedly more lewd than the girls. She shook her head. “And he asked for Scott? This is could end so badly.”

“Honestly, from the way Fury was reacting, Scott acting up would be a welcome distraction.” She could hear Hope inhale sharply and could practically see Scott wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. He was such a sap sometimes, it was enduring in the same ways it was nauseating.

“What’s going on? Is that Natasha? How’s my other favorite insectoid agent that could easily dismantle me?”

Natasha couldn’t help but smile. She had a certain appreciation for the fact that Scott fully recognized that both she and Hope could dismantle him easily. There were so few that appreciated that of either Hope or herself… and if they did; they didn’t admit it quite so openly as Scott or Clint did.

“I’m good Scott. We have a mission.” She could hear his dramatic groan and envisioned him resting his head against Hope’s shoulder like a sulky child.

“But it’s my weekend with Cassie.” He moaned.

Her smile wilted at that. Cassie-time was sacred and they all knew it.

“I really am sorry about messing with Cassie-time. Look, since this is being sprung on you, how about the next time you get her you can take her is Disney World with all expenses paid.”

“Wiat.. hold on.. Can I …. Thanks..” she could hear them passing the phone between them so that Scott could talk to her more personally. “Really? I mean, for real this time. The last time…”

“That was Clint’s fault, and he paid for it, dearly. I promise I’ll talk to Fury and he will pay for making you miss out on Cassie-time.”

Scott snorted on the other end of the line. He knew she was serious and he knew that Fury was going to pay. He liked that about her. “Alright.” He sighed heavily, turning to look through the patio door at Cassie and her friend clammering about Hank for story time. “When do you need us and do we need to bring anything special like… oh say pizza?”

Natasha smirked. “ You have a little more than four hours. And Thor’s coming too, so don’t forget the Hawaiian.”

“Ooh, we’re bringing Thor? Should I be concerned?”

She sighed heavily. “Always be concerned, Scott. Always.”

---------

Clint shot off a text as he entered the S.H.I.E.L.D. gym and got a quick response. “Yeah, we’re here.” It said. Clint chuckled. Of course they were together. It wasn’t uncommon for Beta’s and Alpha’s to get together anymore. It didn’t mean that it wasn’t treated as the norm or wasn’t frowned upon, but it wasn’t as stigmatized as it had been in decades past. There was speculation out the wazoo as to whether or not they were a thing… but no one was going to ask them outright. Steve was still adjusting to “the future” and some things were still taboo.

But they did absolutely nothing to hide the fact that they practically lived together and spent almost all of their free time together. And if they heard the whispers or the gossip they paid it no mind as far any else could tell.

So Clint was not at all surprised to find them half naked, sweat drenched, and practically laying on the ropes of the boxing ring chugging water and neither one of them had any sense of personal space as they were elbow to elbow with an entire ring around them.

“Fancy meeting you two here, together.”

“Dude,” Sam panted as he chugged a bottle of water. “I literally just texted you and told you that we are here.”

“Spoilsport.” Clint grumbled as he lifted one of their many bottles of water and cracked the lid open for himself.

“To what do we owe the honor of your presence Agent Barton?”

Clint grimaced. “You know, one of these days we’re gonna get you to refer to us by our given names and not our rank and surname and literally no one is going to believe any of us.” He chided good naturedly.

“You’re right, Clint. No one is going to believe you.” Steve smirked when both men choked on their water. “What? Have to change with the times, right?”

Clint wiped his chin and coughed heavily. “You timed that so I’d get all wet and gross didn’t you?”

Steve just smirked and jumped out of the ring. “Seriously, you don’t just come down here unless Agent Romanova is with you to spar. What’s up?”

“A mission.”

“What kind of mission?” Sam asked curiously.

“That’s a damned good question. All we know for 100% sure is that T’Challa has specifically asked for each of us by name and that Wakandan air space won’t allow us in until noon tomorrow.”

“That gives us about three hours prep. Do we know if we’re going into a hostile situation?”

“No clue. But from the looks of it there might a diplomatic bit to it too…”

“What makes you say that?” Sam asked as he climbed out of the ring, sit next his bag and rifle around for a towel.

“He asked for Fury… and the Consultant.”

This made both men stand up straight.

“That’s serious.”

“No kidding.”

“And you think The Consultant will acquiesce?”

“I’m saying that if he doesn’t agree that’ll just tranq him and apologize to The Boss afterwards.”

Both men twitched at that. There was little doubt in their mind that Fury would show up with Rhodes draped over one shoulder while holding a cellphone in the other apologizing the Pepper Potts in the other.

Both men nodded. “We’ll be there in an hour and a half.” Steve called out as they left. Though Clint could have sworn he heard Sam mimicking him as they walked out the door.

Clint let out a snort as he got out his phone and called Natasha. “How was your assignment?”

“Took a little bit of searching to find Thor. Fury was right about the storm; believe it or not. Had to do some sweet talking to Scott though.”

“Really? I thought Hope would be the one that needed to be convinced.”

“Her yes was contingent on Scott’s yes.”

“And he wasn’t convinced?”

“It’s Cassie-time.”

Clint winced. “Ouch.”

“Yeah, you know how much he cherishes his ‘Cassie-time’. So I had to sweeten the deal. His next ‘Cassie-time’ is going to take place at Disney World, with all expenses paid.”

Clint snorted.

“I promised him it wouldn’t be like last time.” She added dryly.

“Hey, I resent that. I paid for that,” he grumbled.

Natasha snorted humorlessly. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah… you got Thor with you?”

“No, he’s taking his job as guardian of Midgard very seriously and helping a drought ridden town in Nevada, and making sure it get’s plenty of rain.”

Clint paused for a second. “Who taught him about barometric pressure?”

“Who do you think taught him?”

“Speaking of which; how do you think Fury’s doing?”

“The twins were probably a pushover compared to Rhodey.”

Clint groaned. “Someone really has to convince those two that just because your Alpha’s a super villain prig, that doesn’t mean you have to single handedly save the entire world.”

Natasha snorted in agreement. “Oh, Scott’s bringing pizza. Better grab some paper towels and plates.”

“Gotcha.”

------

“Pietro… Wanda… Director Fury… to what do I owe this very ominous pleasure.”

“Nothing ominous, Mr Rhodes.” Fury said as he strode forward to shake his hand. Rhodey walked into his penthouse and sat down his book bag. He was dressed in a suit, but had a light hoodie underneath. Most people thought it was a form of rebellion against the ‘Board of Old Stuffy White Men’ he had to deal with. But the truth was that the hoodie once belonged to Tony Stark. He and Pepper had been very insistent that they keep his clothes and sometimes wore them on their days off. But it was Rhodey that constantly wore one of Tony’s numerous hoodies.

“Need some consulting done?” He ask cautiously.

The twins shared a look before wandering away to the veranda to look at the New York Skyline.

“Okay, now I know something is up. What’s going on?”

“Early this morning, and I mean EARLY this morning, I got a call from His Majesty T’Challa.”

“Okay, I’m listening.” He said as he dropped down into a chair and made himself comfortable.

“He was flustered; that much I could tell. He was keeping secrets, and you know how much I dislike secrets.”

“Only when you’re not in on them.”

“Exactly. But this is T’Challa; King of Transparency. All he would tell us is that there is a terrorist cell just outside the border of his Kingdom, and that there were other more ‘delicate’ issues that needed to be tended too beforehand.”

“Like what?”

“That’s the 100,000 dollar question. He didn’t ask for S.H.I.E.L.D. assistance. He asked for a very specific line up of Avengers. Clint, Natasha, Steve, Sam, Wanda, Pietro, Scott, Banner, his wife, me, and you. And then he added Hope and Thor to round it off.”

Rhodey narrowed his eyes. There was a migraine building behind his eyes already. “You think it’s a trap?”

“Honestly, I wish it were at this point. But this is T’Challa we’re talking about. He’s a good man.”

“And he asked for Banner, Cho, you and me?” He questioned.

“Yip,” he said popping his p for emphasis.

Rhodey groaned letting his head fall into his hands. There was so much shit to be done with Stark Industries. The Board of Angry Old White Men wanted more update for the Stark tech. He was in R&D most days up to his elbows in his own creations, not to mention trying to figure out some of Tony’s sketches… some of that crap still wasn’t possible…. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t trying to make it happen because his ideas were decades ahead of the next generation tech even now.

“I really can’t. I have so much stuff going on with the board.”

“I’ll keep them at bay.” Pepper offered as she came around the corner carrying two duffel  bags and a laptop case. Pietro saw her and ran to her side to take them from her.

“R&D?”

“They’re big kids, and I can keep a close eye on them.”

“The meetings?”

“Taken care of.”

“Charity functions?”

“‘Mr. Rhodes would like to extend his deepest most heartfelt apologies for being unable to attend this event. I am here in his stead to deliver his speech.’” She delivered the line as though it were something she said regularly.

“Uh… I’m going?”

“You’re going.” She said sternly before softening her tone. “Look, you need a break. You’re about as bad as Tony was about self care. I can’t get you to go on a legitimate vacation, so do this instead. I’m sure whatever is going on in Wakanda seems really important and you are one of the best people for any kind of diplomatic whatever they need.” She paused, walking towards him. “So go, I’ll keep the home fires burning. I’ll keep my cellphone on me in case you need me or the other way around. And you can go help save the world… or whatever it is that needs to be done. And I’ll be on standby.” She smiled softly. “I’ll always be your Rescue.” She whispered.

He rose from his chair, took her hand, kissed her knuckles and then pulled her into a delicate kiss. “What would I ever do without you?”

She smiled as she hugged him close. “Good thing we’ll never have to find out, huh?”

They pressed their foreheads together and then pulled away. “I’ll only be gone a couple of days, Pep. If anything happens and you need help call me or Dr. Strange. But no flirting,” he jokingly chastised. “I know he’s got his eyes on you.”

“Pfft, he wishes. Just be careful.”

“Always.” He smirked devilishly. He turned to Fury and his guests. “When we going?”

Fury went to speak but the telltale sounds of a quinjet landing interrupted him. “That’s our ride.” And then the elevator dinged. “And some of our guests have just arrived.”

The doors opened out came Sam, Clint, and Steve; who was pulling a trolley of their luggage behind him.

“Are we late?” Steve Asked.

“Early.” Fury assured him.

“You need to check you messages, dude.” Clint grunted as he walked through throwing a wave to the other occupants as he went.

Fury pulled out his phone and grit his teeth. 17 new messages and a slew of texts from either agent and a few from Dr. Cho.

The elevator dinged again and this time Helen Banner-Cho and Bruce Banner emerged with Bruce pulling a trolley of their bags behind them. Neither said a word as they made their way out to the flight deck.

Pietro looked from Wanda to Rhodey to Fury and back and winced. “This is not going to be awkward at all…”

Wanda gave Fury a knowing look before linking her arms with Pietro and following after the Banners. Fury turned to Rhodey and Rhodey shrugged following after them. Fury turned to Pepper and she shook her head.

“I get no respect from you people.” Fury grunted as he followed after them.

-----

On board everyone was making themselves comfortable. Clint was settling into the co-pilot seat and had already stowed his possessions. Steve and Sam had already claimed the twin seats under the window on the left side while Bruce and Helen were on the couch beneath the window right side. Bruce and Helen were closed off to the others. Their body language screamed “not today” with Bruce on his back and Helen at his side with her back to the others as they lazily scrolled through their tablet. Rhodey had taken up a seat across from Sam and Steve and were animatedly catching up. Wanda and Pietro had contented themselves on the curved couch behind the co-pilot's chair where they could chitchat with Clint.

With a much belabored sigh Fury took the seat by the center console in the middle of the quinjet to catch up on his texts. The first one he opened had him regretting getting out of bed in the morning. He should have remembered it was Amadeus’s birthday. The next message had him internally cursing the stars “Cassie-time” was more sacred to Scott Lang than life itself.... the universe hated him.

“Natasha, you have an ETA on Scott and Hope?”

Clint choked on a laugh and said. “If the small army of drones headed towards us carrying boxes of pizza are any indication; I’d say really soon.”

Sam jumped to his feet. “Drone drones or flying ant drones… cause he knows how I feel about that.”

“Drone drones. That happened one time and that was before he knew you had an ant near food trigger.” Natasha said calmly as the first few drones flew into the quinjet.

“Who wants ants near food to begin with… it’s just GROSS!” Sam argued as the drones were followed closely by Hope and Scott themselves. Scott’s face looked a little splotchy; as though he had himself a good cry before hand. He had his arm around Hope’s waist and was holding her a little closer than normal.

“And I apologized, too.” He added. “There are no ants on the pizzas, and there have been no ants near the pizzas.”

“Good.”

“Hank ordered theirs after we left.” He added wryly and Hope couldn’t help but chuckle.

“We would have been a little earlier, but we needed to feel the wind in our faces.” Hope explained as they took off their gear.

Everyone turned to them slowly. “But you wear masks.”

Scott turned to Fury slowly. “We stopped and felt the wind in our faces.” He stated matter of factly.

“Where?” Fury challenged.

Both pointed up. Fury raised an eyebrow and went pale. “You… you were on top of the Avengers Tower? Are you mad?!”

Scott shot him a murderous look.

“He was safe,” Rhodey said softly as he turned to Fury. “There’s a space up there, totally secure, for those inside and out.”

“It’s a nest.” Clint grunted. “He made me a nest … so I could have the illusion of control after Loki--” Natasha put her hand on his arm and squeezed it.

Fury looked like he was about to lay into Rhodes for not informing him, but Scott was not in the mood for it. He held up a stack of Pizza’s as Hope unshrunk their luggage. “I was promised a Thor. I got his Pineapple pizza’s and everything!”

This got Bruce’s attention and he excused himself from his spot with his wife. “May I have one of those?” This drew everyone's attention. Bruce hated pineapple on pizza. Hulk on the other hand.

“S-sure Doc… you feeling a little… green today?” He asked, sounding a tiny bit alarmed.

Bruce shrugged. “Tomorrows a bad day. I’m hoping that this will keep the Hulk at bay.”

Pietro cleared his throat. “I think we’re going to need more pineapple pizzas.”

Fury was already one the phone.

Everyone shared a look but anything else cut off by a loud thump on the roof.

Scott looked up and smiled. “Thor.” He said wistfully.

Sure enough they heard footsteps and then saw him jump down onto the catwalk, bag in hand. He was drenched.

“Am I late?” He asked, looking at Natasha as he swept his hair out of his face.

“Not at all…” she looked at him curiously. “Did you get into a fight with the storm?”

He at least looked sheepish. “It would not listen to reason. T’would have taken the storm before the land was quenched and the rivers filled.”

“So you convinced it?” Clint offered.

“In a matter of speaking yes. I have Heimdall watching over them incase it wants now to stay over long.” He explained with a smile as Scott helped him take his cape off. “Do I smell pineapple?”

“Get dried off before you get any ideas.” Fury warned as turned to Natasha. “We have one last drone delivery and then we’re ready. Get comfortable people, it’s going to be a long ride.”

-----

T’Challa stood on the floor above them watching as the waitstaff prepared the tables and the food. But it wasn’t the waitstaff that had him mesmerized. No, it was Tony and Winter and their pups. Both men had changed into day clothes. Tony was wearing a thick beige tank top under a wine colored henley under a dark hoodie and from what he could see loose fitted jeans. He wondered how long it would be until he felt comfortable in fewer layers. Winter was dressed like Tony, but without the henley, in all black.

They were a sight to see. The pups were showing off their clothes and dancing in the most peculiar fashion. He knew he’d seen it before but couldn’t put his finger on it.

Shuri nudged his shoulder and smiled. “Come. It’s time to share your news and watch them discover real food.”

“Indeed.” As he looked again the wait staff was informing them that they were ready and they were being herded towards the table. Winter and Tony sat side by side with Kamala on one with Nova in her lap, Amadeus next to Winter, while on the other side Riri and Miles bookended Gwen and Peter. The table was laden with Pizza’s and Spaghetti and the kids looked to be salivating.

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting over long.” He said as he and Shuri took up seats on either end of the table.

The kids all shook their head and Tony couldn’t help but chuckle. “They were excited about their new clothing. Thank you, by the way.”

Both siblings smiled warmly. “Now, if there are no objections, I say we eat.”

All the pups looked at Tony who nodded and they all dug in. “Remember small bites and chew it well, or you’ll get a tummy ache.” The pups all nodded sagely as Tony and Winter divied out pizza and spaghetti on their plates.

The reactions from the kids were priceless. He hoped that the Dora were taking pictures of their sweet faces as they stared at the food they had just nibbled on in awe and shock.

Halfway through there was a bit of drama when Gwenny got “sketti sauce” on her hoodie, but they were able to calm her down and promise her it was okay to get a little messy. “You just have to be carefully. Mistakes are going to happen, you’re gonna get dirty. But we can always clean it up, now.” Tony whispered as he dried her tears. A member of the waitstaff had whisked the hoodie off for cleaning and she thought she’d never see it again.

After that the kids all took their hoodies off and opted for to wear napkins tucked in their shirts and covering their pants.

It didn’t take long for them all to get full to bursting, looking at the food longingly as though they never wanted to leave the meal unfinished.

“Remember what I said guys; we can always have more later.” Tony offered at his youngsters look of sorrow. It brightened them up considerably.

T’Challa cleared his throat after the plates and food were removed. “I have an announcement to make.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tony grab onto Winters arm and hold on tight.

“While I was upstairs I spoke to a friend of mine Director Fury-”

“F-Fury?” Miles asked curiously, his face gone slightly grey.

“Yes, Director Fury. He is, at the very moment assembling, a group of people that are going to want to meet you.” He turned to Amadeus. “And welcome you home.”

Amadeus sucked in a harsh breath. “They are coming… Like, right now?! I mean, right now? They are in the air? Headed here!?” The pitch of his voice rose with every question.

Winter put his hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Deus. There’s nothing to be worried about.”

Amadeus looked at him like he was nuts. “I’m… I’m too skinny an-and I need to cut my fingernails… an-and… my momma’s gonna flip out.” He saw Tony flinch and reached out to him. “No, Sukbu, you misunderstand. She’ll be thrilled with you and Winter… it’s them that need to worried.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “The Incredible Hulk has nothing on Momma Cho when someone’s messed with her baby.”

Tony let a nervous laugh but he bit it back when he saw how genuinely nervous Amadeus was. “Nervous energy.” He looked around and noticed all of them looked a little jittery. “We need to expend this nervous energy or they’ll never get to sleep.”

Winter, T’Challa, and Shuri all nodded. “Agreed.”

“First is the small matter of suntan lotion. And.. something else I want to offer.” T’Challa offered as he stood leading everyone to the main living room. Everyone stopped in the doorway. In all the excitement they hadn’t really paid attention to their surroundings. The living room was huge, the ceiling was tall, and the windows… the windows were huge and the light streaming in them was so…

“Beautiful…” whispered Gwen and Peter as they slowly entered the room holding hands.

Shuri put a hand on their shoulder and steered them back before they got to close to the doors. But they were mesmerized by the grass and the trees and the benches and the… everything. “Just a moment, pups. First, we have to discuss somethings.”

They let two tiny twin whines but didn’t protest against her steering them away.

She guided them back to the couch where the others were gathered waiting- somewhat patiently- for whatever came next.

“First of all, we need to talk about what is going to start happening to your bodies.” He said patiently. Tony and Winter listened intently while the pups looked on curiously. “You’re going to start gaining weight and growing like sprouts soon because of all the nutrients and all the sun and fun and how relatively stress-free your life is going to be. But sometimes your insides don’t grow as fast as your outsides and you might have ‘accidents’.”

Peter looked confused and it was Gwen that explained in a hushed tone. “It’s like when we pee ourselves in bed, Petee.” He looked horror struck and then looked down at his lap. She grabbed his hand and held it tightly. “We have accidently pee ourselves sometimes at night.” She explained matter-of-factly.

But it was the way that the others ruffled Peter’s hair and reassuringly squeezed him and kissed him behind the ear that made him think it was a problem that he mostly had but that his ‘twin’ wouldn’t allow him to bear the burden alone.

“Ah,” T’Challa nodded with understanding. “These,” he pulled a pair of underpants that looked normal, but were a tiny bit thicker. “Will help keep your beds from getting wet while your bodies adjust.”

Tony looked curious, almost anxious about the underpants. Without a moment's hesitation T’Challa offered a pair for Tony to inspect. Tony visibly deflated in relief as he inspect the garment.

“It’s leak resistant?”

“Yes, durable, and reusable.”

Tony looked impressed and that pleased T’Challa to no end.

“There will also be half sheets underneath as a secondary precaution. If you have an accident all you have to do is go to the bathroom, wash yourself off, change your underpants, take the old underpants to a receptacle that will be by your door, make sure the half sheet is dry and go back to bed.”

“And if the sheet isn’t dry?” Peter asked softly.

“All you must do is roll it up and place it in the receptacle with the underpants. Understood?” They all nodded and before anyone could say anything else all the kids were taking off their pants and putting on the new underpants.

T’Challa and Shuri looked at Tony and Winter who merely shrugged. “Modesty isn’t something you learn when you have two rooms to live in with nine people. I’ll say something to them later.”

Tony looked down and clapped his hands. “All set?”

A chorus of yes’s arose with one. “One sec, almost got… there, Nova is set now too.” Kamala said triumphantly as she sat her brother onto his feet to toddle over to his parents.

“And now for a special lotion that will protect your skin from turning red and hot.” Shuri said. The kids eyes grew wide at this.

“Our skin can turn RED?!” Gwen exclaimed.

T’Challa held back a chuckle. “Yes, especially you and Peter and Nova. But it can happen to us all. Too much sun will make you feel uncomfortable and can be painful. So,” He took out a bottle from behind the couch and showed it to them. “Here it is. It’s a special Wakandan recipe, formulated to protect even the most vulnerable of people from the harshness of our sun.”

Shuri handed Tony a bottle so that he could inspect it as well. Tony smiled and read the ingredients with great scrutiny. He nodded then turned to Winter and said. “We better put some on too. We haven’t seen the sun in a while. I’m probably lucky I didn’t turn into a sun dried raisin out there.”

Winters eyes grew big. “You didn’t because you had leather wrapped around your head and shoulders.” He whispered. Tony blinked owlishly. “I… I don’t remember.”

Winter shook his head. “It’s probably for the best.” He took the bottle from Tony and opened it. “Give me your arms. You can do your own face.”

While T’Challa, Shuri and the older kids helped the younger kids Amadeus was looking around the room when he stood up abruptly and dropped the bottle of suntan lotion.

“Is something wrong, Deus?” Tony asked.

Amadeus walked over to the walk shakily and pointed to the calendar on the wall. “Is this… is this accurate?”

T’Challa and Shuri shared a quizzical look. “Yes, Amadeus, it’s digital. It marks days off automatically.”

“So this is accurate? This is today, and that is tomorrow.” He said pointing to the days excitedly.

“Yes… what’s the matter?”

“Nothing's the matter! This is… Tomorrow's my BIRTHDAY!” He practically squealed as he started to jump around. “TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY AND MY PARENTS ARE COMING!!! This is going to be the best birthday EVER!” He stopped to look at the year on the calendar and started jumping around again. “I’m going to be THIRTEEN!!” He exclaimed with a fist pump.

The older kids were excited and hugging and congratulating him but Gwen and Peter; while excited, were also confused.

They turned to Tony. “What’s a birthday?”

Tony felt suddenly light headed. This was not a discussion he wanted to have. He didn’t want to have to explain that they didn’t have birthdays because he didn’t know what day they were born on… for god’s sakes, what year they were born in.

He felt Winter’s arm around his waist and heard the distant sound of someone clearing their throat. “It’s a celebration of the day you were born.” He heard T’Challa explain.

“Do we have birthdays?” Peter asked curiously.

“Yeah. Do we?”

“Of course you do.” Winter answered. “But you guys are special.”

“How?” They asked in unison.

“Because you get to pick your birthday.” Winter squeezed him a little and he could feel that light headed feeling abate a little.

“Is that cool?” Gwen asked curiously.

“The COOLEST!” Shuri enthused.

“WE WANT THE SAME DAY!” They exclaimed.

Tony felt lightheaded again but clung to Winter with all his might, shaking his head and forcing himself to stay in the moment.

“I… I don’t see why not.” He heard himself say he shook off the lingering tinglings of panic. And he wasn’t lying. He really didn’t see why not. The Ten Rings were the impatient. As soon as they believed the pregnancy was to a point where the baby would survive they would perform a C-section. All his babies were preemies. But they had gotten either gotten extra impatient and greedy or just forgotten how long a child needed to gestate to become viable and had done a c-section when; by his own rough estimation, he’d only 5 and a half months long.

They were about six months apart in age, and the fact that Peter had come out with so few difficulties and had been so healthy had been a miracle that he could only chalk up to Yensen watching out over them. There was no other explanation, in his mind.

“They aren’t far off in age. They might as well be twins.” He added with a shrug. He busied himself putting more suntan lotion on the back of Peter’s neck so that he couldn’t see the disapproval in the faces of those around him.

“He has a point, y’know.” He felt more than saw Winter shrug.

“Then so be it. After we play outside we pick birthdays, agreed?”

And that was that. All the kids celebrated.

One crisis down… several more to go.

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