Marvel One-Shots

Sneaking In

Tony Stark had a lot of rules. Not all of them made sense, especially when he was the one breaking them. Tonight was no exception.

The moonlight shimmered on the glass of Stark Tower as Tony expertly shattered a window, wincing as shards tinkled onto the ground.

“Well, that could have gone better,” he muttered.

Peter Parker, clinging to the edge of the broken window frame, peered down at him with wide eyes.

“Uh, Mr. Stark, I’m pretty sure we could’ve just used the front door,” Peter said, his voice cracking slightly.

Tony turned around, helping Peter climb through the now-broken window with a practiced hand. "Breaking and entering is wrong, Peter," Tony said seriously.

“Right… Got it,” Peter replied, shaking off the lingering nerves and making sure his feet landed safely on the ground. "You’re the one who said it was faster."

Tony shrugged. “Efficiency, kid. Efficiency.”

Just as they began dusting themselves off, both froze. Standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, was none other than Pepper Potts, looking very unimpressed.

“Tony. Peter.” Her tone was ice-cold.

“Uhhh…” Tony’s usual confidence faltered. He gave a nervous laugh, running his hand through his hair. “Pepper! Didn’t expect to see you up this late! What a pleasant surprise.”

Peter swallowed hard, eyes darting between Tony and Pepper like he was watching a tense tennis match.

“Tony,” Pepper said with calm authority, taking a step forward. “Would you like to explain why there’s a shattered window, and why neither of you used the perfectly functional door?”

Tony opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was the genius, the billionaire, the Iron Man. He’d faced down gods, aliens, and supervillains. But Pepper Potts?

She was scarier than all of them put together.

Peter stepped forward slightly. “We were, uh, just—uh, you know—coming back from... um, a... thing. And—”

Pepper’s eyes snapped to Peter, silencing him instantly.

“Right.” Tony sighed, deflated. “We snuck out. Didn’t want you to worry.”

“I did worry,” Pepper said sternly. “And breaking a window to sneak back in? That’s supposed to reassure me?”

Tony scratched the back of his head, muttering, “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time...”

Peter raised a hand sheepishly. “Technically, I didn’t break the window.”

“Peter, you’re not helping,” Tony whispered.

Pepper exhaled, rubbing her temples. “You two are cleaning this up tomorrow morning. And I’m locking all the windows. Got it?”

Tony and Peter both nodded vigorously.

“Good,” Pepper said, finally turning away. “And next time? Just use the door.”

As she left the room, Peter looked at Tony. “She scares me.”

Tony patted him on the back. “Join the club, kid. Join the club.”