"Uh, hi Ms. Potts," I say awkwardly.

She stops short. "Hi? Uh, I don't know how you got up here, but you better get back down to R&D fast. Tony doesn't like anyone in his personal labs," she warns, setting down her armful of paperwork in preparation to rush me to the door.

"Um, I'm uh, allowed up here," I stammer, still unbelieving that I'm meeting Pepper Potts, the Pepper Potts. "MJ says that you're an iconic women in business, by the way," I blurt out.

She turns to me, confusion clear in her gaze, "thanks?"

"Hey, Underoos! Where are you?" Mr. Stark's voice echoes from the other room just in time.

I bound though with a glance to Pepper, who follows me slowly.

Tony's fiddling with the TV, twisting some wires together intently. In typical Tony Stark fashion, he doesn't even notice our entry.

Pepper sighs, "Tony."

He crawls out from under the TV, "Hi Pep!"

"What have I told you about adopting interns?"

"Well, he's not exactly an intern, per say," Tony hums, blinking his lashes innocently.

Pepper narrows her eyes, "what is he, then?"

"Uh...Spider-Man?" Tony squeaks, ready to run.

Pepper just freezes, battling internally, "Tony, are you telling me you took a teenager to Germany to fight Captain America."

"Yes?"

"I was already Spider-Man, Ms. Potts," I rush in. "It's not Mr. Stark's fault, he actually helped. I would have killed myself running around without a proper suit."

"Don't say that," Tony cuts in harshly. I flinch, and his face softens. "Sorry, it's just...I put you in danger, kid, you never should have been in Germany, much less fighting Cap."

"Mr. Stark —"

"Kid," Tony cuts in, "don't even try."

"Tony," Pepper says, arching her eyebrows in a look that totally means something. Tony clears his throat.

"Right. Kid, you can go grab your web-shooters from the shop if you wanna work on them down here."

"Okay, Mr. Stark," I say hesitantly and suspiciously, standing up and walking to the door. Mr. Stark gives me a 'shoo' gesture, I roll my eyes and walk down to the lift.

"What's with the Mr./Ms. thing?" I hear Ms. Potts ask Tony.

I can hear Tony shrug, "dunno. I don't mind it."

"Huh," Pepper says, and that's all I hear, their conversation falling out of my range of hearing.

When I come back up the living room is empty and Tony is back to fiddling with the TV.

"How'd it go?"

He looks up, "some minor persuasion on my part, but it's fine."

"She's cool with it?"

"With what?"

I give him a look, tilting my head, "Spider-Man, dude!"

"Oh right, right, right. Yep, no she's okay."

"Are yous sure?" I prod.

"Yes Mom," he stresses. I wrinkle my nose the same time as he bursts into laughter.

The next time I visit the tower there's a plate of cookies sitting on the couch, covered in glad-wrap with no less than three sticky notes.

TONY. NO. DO NOT EAT. I DON'T CARE (FOR ONCE) HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN IN THE WORKSHOP. GO TO THE FRIDGE.

CLINT, YOU TOO. I WILL TELL LAURA.

Peter, these are for you. They are good bargaining chips with the rest of the team, so use wisely ;) -Pepper.

I full-out laugh, unpeeling the glad-wrap carefully to use later, it'll make a good trap. I doubt world-class assassins are trained in the art of glad-wrap (it is an art.) I take a cookie, sinking my teeth into the chewy-soft sweet dough. They're perfect. If I could, I would marry this cookie — hell, I'll marry it anyway.

"Peter," Natasha says in way of introduction. I jump slightly, but it's better than that time I dropped four eggs 'cos she walked into my bedroom without me noticing. Don't ask why I had eggs in my bedroom.

"Hi, Nat."

"What you doing?" she leans over my shoulder, "cookies?"

Beaming, I say, "I met Pepper, finally."

"Haven't you before?"

"She's always been busy or away," I explain.

"Ah," Natasha fingers go to pluck a cookie, but I swat her hand away.

"Uh-uh, my cookies."

"Did Pepper tell you to use them as bribes?" Natasha laughs.

"Bargaining chips, actually."

"Sounds like her—"

"Hey! I want cookies!" Clint interrupts, sauntering through the door.

"Too bad!" I yell back, re-wrapping the plate and dashing out the door to my room.

"Wait!" Clint yells, chasing after me.

"Never!" I grin manically, sprinting down the hallways.