It Only Takes a Second

- LXV -

"What if nobody comes?" Harry asked, pulling a beautifully braided strudel out of the oven and setting it carefully on a cooling rack.

"Trust me, kiddo, with the top notch advertising you've had, you'll have a line out the door," Tony assured.

"Does Thor on the corner with a spinning sign really count as top notch advertising?" Clint questioned, earning a glare from Tony.

"I've had a few small billboards put up in Time Square too, thank you very much," the billionaire fired back.

"You what?" Harry gaped. He had no idea that his dad had put up any billboards, much less in Time Square.

"Your investor wanted only the best for the bakery," Tony smiled as his kid's eyes grew wide at the idea.

Harry was in the bakery's kitchen running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. It seemed that, even with magic, there was too much that still needed to be done. Now, with the news that his dad had advertised the grand opening in Time Square, he felt like he was even more behind.

"I just need to finish up a few items before we open. Hopefully I'm not making too much," Harry worried his lip between his teeth-- a nervous habit that he had picked up from Pepper.

"I'll bet you're sold out of everything by 2 o'clock this afternoon," Tony scoffed. "And if not, I guess that means we'll have more for us."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I can bake for you anytime. Don't eat the merchandise."

All eyes fell to Clint, who was sitting on a stool, polishing off the last of a sample box that he had found.

"Do you think that other guy with the bakery will show up? Jacob?" Natasha asked, and Harry grinned.

"I think he will. We had a really great conversation the other night, before..."

He trailed off, knowing that nobody (including himself) really wanted to talk about the other night's events. Quickly, he busied his hands again, tossing some ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Steve cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"I, for one, just want to say thank you Harry, for allowing all of us to be a part of your big day. We're all excited to help out," Steve announced, and there were echoes of agreeance all throughout the kitchen where everyone was helping.

Tony's phone buzzed, and he glanced down at it before letting out a bark of laughter before turning the phone to face everyone else.

"It's a reminder telling me that the bakery opens in exactly thirty minutes," Tony chuckled. "I don't know why I thought I'd forget."

"We wouldn't have let you," Harry giggled before directing his attention to Pepper. "Mom, would you hand me that mixer that's over there, please?"

Pepper grabbed the mixer that he was referring to in the corner, smiling. She knew that he could have easily used magic to bring it over to where he needed it, but that he wanted to make sure that she felt included.

After placing the mixer down on the counter and plugging it in, she set her hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Harry, no matter what happens today, we want you to know that we're proud of you for everything," she told him with a gentle smile.

Harry blushed, and his mom leaned over to kiss his forehead. Pepper wasn't one for grand gestures or speeches-- that was Tony's area-- but she always knew what to say and how to say it.

"Is there anything else that needs to be done that we can help out with?" Bruce offered. The scientist was so used to keeping his hands busy that he felt useless just standing and only doing something when directed.