It Only Takes a Second

- LXVI -

Peter hurried down the street, excited to get to the bakery. His day at school had seemingly dragged on, and he once again cursed the fact that Aunt May, Tony and Harry had all told him that he couldn't miss school to be there for the grand opening.

He ducked through and alleyway and cut through the park, hoping to shave time off of his trip. When his eyes landed on the bakery, he frowned when he didn't much traffic inside. But as he grew closer, his vision was focused on a sign that was taped to the door.

Thank you for coming to Lily's Bakery. Due to overwhelming support from the community, we have sold out of everything. To make up for this, take a picture of this sign to receive 10% off your next purchase with us. Thank you for your support!

Peter's face broke out into a grin as he read the sign, and burst into the bakery. Inside, he couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Tony, Clint, Natasha, Pepper, Bruce, Steve, Bucky, Thor and Loki all sat in chairs, toasting Harry with their designated flutes of champagne or bottles of beer. Harry was drinking what looked like sparking cider, and his face grew bright as he spotted Peter.

"Pete!" He cried, racing over and giving his boyfriend a hug. "Today was amazing! You'll never guess what happened-- oh Merlin I have so much to tell you and-"

Warmth spread through Peter as Harry rambled on. Normally, he would kiss him to get him to stop talking, because the rambling was usually negative, but now.... Harry was comfortable enough around him and his family to talk excessively, and it was the warmest welcome Peter could imagine.

Pepper, always the proper hostess, handed Peter a glass of sparking cider as well, inviting him to join them in their celebration.

"What time did you sell out of everything?" Peter questioned as Harry finished telling him all about the day.

"Around 1-- we ran through everything, even the premade stuff! Caroline just ran to the store to go get more ingredients, and then we're going to make more of everything and hope that it's done by tomorrow when we open again!" Harry replied excitedly, and Peter began to wonder if he really was drinking just sparking cider.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you," Peter replied, pulling Harry into a congratulatory hug.

And he was. Peter was ecstatic that the grand opening had been a success. He was thrilled by the fact that, for the first time in... ever, Harry was bouncing off the walls with excitement. He was happy that Harry was happy.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's share the love here," Tony announced as the two broke apart. "I, for one, am offended that Peter didn't even bother to say hi on his way in here."

The billionaire crossed his arms in a fake pout, earning a laugh from everyone else in the room.

"Okay, okay," Peter giggled, bounding over and giving his mentor a hug. "Are you happy now?"

"No, last I checked, he was taking Caroline to the store," Tony winked, and Peter groaned.

"Mister Stark, just because you're a dad now doesn't mean that you have to resort to telling dad jokes," Peter shook his head, but he was biting back a laugh.

"Oh, Peter!" Bucky exclaimed, popping out of his seat in a very 'non-Bucky' fashion. He rounded the counter and pulled out a box from under the counter. Bringing it over, he wore a smug grin on his face.

"I saved you the final snickerdoodle," he declared proudly, popping open the box to reveal the last remnants of the day's merchandise.

Peter's face lit up as he gratefully accepted the box from Bucky's hands.