Inheritance of ash

the frosting games

Bruce was adding M&Ms to what looked like a Thor cookie with a lightning bolt zigzag in yellow gel. Thor, watching over his shoulder, looked deeply moved.

"Friend Banner," he said solemnly, "you have captured my essence."

"I added mini marshmallows for your hammer."

"I feel honored."

Meanwhile, Bucky was staring blankly at his Steve cookie. It was just... a sad circle with blue icing and two white dots. "How do you represent a guy who's already a national symbol on a cookie?"

"Try guilt," Tony said, still mad about Ultron. "That's his brand."

Bucky threw a sprinkle at him.

Across the table, Steve leaned toward Natasha. "Yours is... kind of amazing."

Natasha's Steve cookie had a perfectly piped little shield on its chest, and somehow she'd gotten his eyebrows just right. "I've had practice."

"With cookies?"

"With you."

Steve blinked.

Yelena, watching them both, rolled her eyes so hard she almost fell off her stool.

⸻

Ten minutes left. The frosting chaos was at critical mass.

"Time check!" Kate called. "Let me see some drama! Some spice! Some-oh my god, Thor, are you sculpting with icing?"

"Yes," Thor said proudly. "My Loki cookie shall have depth."

"Of course he got Loki," Vicky whispered to Peter.

He shrugged. "At least it wasn't Ultron."

Tony, somehow already done, was sipping eggnog and watching the panic unfold. "I regret nothing," he muttered. "Nothing."

"Even the eyebrows?" Pepper asked from beside him, pointing at his Ultron cookie.

"Especially the eyebrows."

⸻

And just as chaos reached its peak, the timer went off.

"TIME!" Kate yelled. "Drop your piping bags! Step away from the frosting! Show me your masterpieces!"

Everyone took turns holding up their cookies, some proud, some horrified. There was laughter. There were gasps. There were genuine moments of "wait, that's actually impressive."

Steve's Natasha cookie actually had mini candy batons.

Vicky's Kate had glitter eyeliner.

Wanda's Pietro somehow had motion blur, nobody knew how.

Peter's Vicky looked like it needed therapy but had heart.

And Tony's Ultron? Somehow both terrifying and festive. The Santa hat had evil eyes.

"Okay," Kate said, once she'd judged them all. "The winner... of this year's Cookie Contest... is..."

Dramatic pause.

"...a three-way tie! Between Natasha, Vicky, and Bruce."

"What?" Bruce blinked. "Me?"

"Yes," Kate said. "Because you made Thor cry."

Thor, wiping a suspicious tear: "It is a most honorable cookie."

Vicky grinned and high-fived Bruce. "See? I told you marshmallows are powerful."

Tony raised his eggnog glass. "To edible art and psychological damage."

Yelena added, "And to cookies that might actually taste good. For once."