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Clint isn't a particularly competitive person. He reckons he has better stuff to do- but when Peter announces that his school is hosting a cooking competition for charity, well...
He can't really come up with a good reason for it. Yes- helping charities was nice and all of that but also. Peter had sounded so excited about it- and talked about how the food made was going to get donated to children in need for so long that Clint just... couldn't not apply for it.
There wasn't an application limit, or whatever- the only condition was that they had to bring the ingredients they'd wanted to use. And it had to be edible, obviously.
But, whatever. The important thing was- it clearly mattered to Peter, so it mattered to Clint too.
By the end of week one, he comes to the conclusion that he can't go wrong with pizza. Because, well- it's pizza. There's rarely people who don't like pizza.
So he then goes through recipes. A ton of them. Until he finds the perfect pizza, because- it's still a competition.
And he does end up finding the perfect recipe. After thirty something tries, far too much mess-ups, and numerous complaints from his children when there's something particularly wrong with the pizzas.
The only unfortunate part of the "perfect pizza" is that there's a potential for giving yourself first- or second- degree burns. And it takes around 24 hours to make it, too. But Clint considers them minor problems, because they're also low-cost (for the most part), which means he doesn't need to "borrow" money from Stark or explain himself for it.
He's... not sure why he's trying to hide this from the other Avengers. But he is.
╭─────────────────.★..─╮
𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛
╰─..★.─────────────────╯
Bruce... is admittedly not a great cook. He thinks it takes too much patience- patience that neither he, nor the green guy have.
So, he doesn't know what possessed him to print, fill out, sign, and mail his application letter to Midtown. But something clearly did.
Like the child the avengers had emotionally adopted as theirs.
In all fairness, Bruce really doesn't think of Peter as some big mastermind. The kid just tended to get overly excited about stuff, and... well. Bruce couldn't not make sure the event is a success.
Especially when it was planned and organized by said child.
He doesn't think about it too much, though.
Until one day, they're having a movie night, and- Peter starts rambling about the cake his aunt had made for his birthday. He talks about how much he loved it- and Tony acts offended about it.
Later that same night, Bruce finds out that the reason behind why is that the cake had a litter of kittens on top of it.
Not literal- obviously, but rather ones made of fondant. They'd looked silly- according to Peter, but that was part of why he loved them.
And that's where Bruce's cooking competition idea came from.
╭─────────────────.★..─╮
𝙾𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞
𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛
╰─..★.─────────────────╯
Steve doesn't understand the appeal of cooking. He does, however, understand the appeal of competitions, so when Peter drops the news about organizing a cooking competition for charity, Steve doesn't think twice before signing up for it- and dragging Bucky along with him.
Where Steve doesn't understand the appeal of cooking- Bucky does. Where Bucky doesn't understand the appeal of competition- Steve does. They're a perfect duo for the task.
And- Steve has the perfect dish for it, too! The mock apple pie.
(Bucky doesn't seem to agree but that's fine.)
╭─────────────────.★..─╮
𝚜𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎
𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎
╰─..★.─────────────────╯
Natasha Romanoff knows exactly what the child is attempting to do. Has known since he started dropping hints about it, going from "Oh I'm hosting a cooking thing for charity!" to "Oh I hope it won't be a complete failure".
The only reason she doesn't say anything about it though, is because she finds it funny in all honesty. The way everyone else sneaks around, thinking no one can tell what they're planning.
Besides. It was for charity. It wouldn't hurt any of them to help out some people in need.
That being said, Natasha has to admit that despite knowing exactly what Peter is trying to do, she falls for it regardless.
She figures it'll be a nice bonding moment. She even calls Yelena, and tells her that she's planning on making Borsch for the thing. Her sister- although not a big fan of the Avengers, says it's a nice idea and she may even help out.
Which really means the world to Natasha, and thinks may mean the world to the kid, too.
╭─────────────────.★..─╮
𝙸 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎
𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛
╰─..★.─────────────────╯
Tony Stark does not believe in birthdays. He doesn't really understand the appeal to it. It's just a day. The day you were born on, maybe, but just ask day nonetheless.
Despite this, he knows how much birthdays can mean to someone. So, when Peter lays out a few step plan for Wanda's birthday, Tony's not really capable of saying no.
It seems quite simple, really, and it is, but Tony can't say he's not amazed at how good Peter is at reading people. And manipulating them too, Tony supposed, but whatever. It was for the greater good.
Peter assumes that there will be a fair balance between desserts and actual meals, so he assigns Tony for snacks.
Tony does not know how to make snacks. But Peter seems to believe in him (which- why, Tony has no clue), so Tony figures he'll simply have to figure it out/deal with it. Or whatever.
"And you're sure Bruce is going to be making the cake?" Tony asks, for what seems like the thousandth time.
Peter nods, clearly annoyed. "Yes, Mr. Stark. You heard me when I was telling him about the cake aunt May made, didn't you?"
Tony looks away from his newest project briefly. "Why don't I know about this cake?"
"She accidentally put salt instead of sugar. Fair mistake. Happens to everyone." Peter shrugs.
"Huh. Throwing that cake away must've sucked. Good thing Pepper made you another one."
"Throwing- what? It's food Mr. Stark. You don't just... throw food away."
Tony raises a brow. "You... ate the cake?"
"Enhanced metabolism."
"Why would you- I'm not even going to ask."
Peter nods. "Yep, that's fair. So- anyways. Cooper says his dad is making pizzas. And I'm assuming Bucky and Mr. Captain America will make something from their century but I'm not sure what. Uhhhh... Yelena snitched on Nat and said that she was going to be attempting to make a borscht. Mr. Falcon is... I have zero clue what he's going to make actually. Mr. Thor is making an Asgardian delicacy- something named Bifrost Berry Bliss I think? So I'm sure that's going to go great. And- we, um. Need to figure out Pietro's part of the gift."
"What's Pietro got to do with anything?"
"...They're twins, Mr. Stark."
"Aaand? I don't see the point in it."
Peter blinks at him. "It's just- rude." He shrugs.
"He should be glad he's alive." Something about the way Peter looks at him, though, tells him his answer was not it. Tony sighs. "Fine. He can have, like. A super suit or whatever."
"Really? That'd be great!! Thank you so much Mr. Stark."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever kid. Do you need anything else?"
Peter looks down at his to-do list. "Um. No, I think that's it."
"Good. Now shoo. It's past your bedtime."
"I don't have a bedtime, but fine. See you tomorrow Mr. Stark!"
"Tony." Tony corrects.
╭─────────────────.★..─╮
𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜,
𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚜
╰─..★.─────────────────╯
Peter makes a face as he looks at Clint's process. It... certainly is something. Peter had never seen someone add honey to pizza dough, but whatever.
He leans against the counter, hand scraping against the dull surface.
"You guys are doing great. All of you except Clint."
Clint glares at him. "You say that now, but wait until you've tried these pizzas."
Peter knows, though. He's talked to Cooper more than enough times to know that the pizzas are good.
His face scrunches in disgust as he watches Clint fill up another glass of water and put it into a bowl. From the tap.
"Ew. Why would you do this in front of my salad."
Clint rolls his eyes at that, making a quick work of the pizza dough, adding flour, a spoon of honey and dry yeast.
"You know you're supposed to add salt, right? Pizza isn't meant to be sweet. Unless you're making like, Hawaiian pizza, in which case- why."
"Can you trust the process?" Clint asks.
Peter shakes his head. "Maybe if the process made sense." Which, sort of does, in Peter's mind. But let the kid have his fun.
Four something hours later, and... Peter lost count, but it was somewhere in the hundreds- bowls later, Clint covers them in foil and puts them in the fridges.
When he starts working on something else, Peter takes that as an initiative to go bother someone else.
╭─────────────────.★..─╮
𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙸
𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘
𝚖𝚎
╰─..★.─────────────────╯
Peter's second target is Bruce. He checks in on the cake- triple makes sure he didn't put salt instead of sugar on accident, pitches an idea to add more chocolate, and leaves.
Steve and Bucky's mock apple pie brings him physical pain, but he can't exactly comment on it- so he doesn't.
Natasha and Yelena are... doing something, that's for sure.
And Tony... Tony is unsurprisingly doing a horrible job in terms of making churros.
The Falcon and Thor are- obviously, doing great. Or Peter thinks so, for the latter, atleast. He doesn't know what the Asgardian delicacy is supposed to look and taste like and he's not about to ask.
╭─────────────────.★..─╮
𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍
╰─..★.─────────────────╯
Peter stands by Tony, watching him attempt to make churros. It's way past three in the morning- but Peter doesn't really care.
The Falcon, Thor and Steve & Bucky finish up fast enough, Peter supposes.
(Yes, the mock apple pie is actually good. No, Peter won't admit it out loud. The fact that he's letting it pass should be enough indication.)
And yes, they make the kitchen a mess by the time they help out the rest. It looks like a crime scene with all the beetroot, but they're all laughing.
Bruce's cake ends up looking like an actual, giant cat, and Wanda ends up loving it and taking the initiative to let the kids cut it for her.
It's hard, but they manage to regardless, and both the kids and the adults end up loving every aspect of it.
(Fun fact! Tony even rents out a cinema or two. And if somewhere along the year, he builds places of residence for them, Peter can't say he's ever been happier.)
He finds the avengers sitting on a rooftop together that night. They look like an actual family, gazing up at the flickering lights in the distance, unaware of a distance where they're not.
Peter settles down by them.
"Thank you guys. A lot. Really." Wanda smiles.
"Thank the kid. It was his idea." Tony responds.
"Just wish we could've tried Stark's churros. Can't imagine how bad they must've been to get turned down." Steve says.
"They were salty." Peter leans forwards, as if attempting to take a closer look of the shining lights in the distance of the dark night sky.
"Guess you just don't have luck, kiddo." Tony shrugs, patting his back.
"Imagine getting help and still messing up the churros. Couldn't be me." Nat laughs.
Tony rolls his eyes. "You're one to talk."
The rest of the team looks at them for a good few moments, before everyone bursts out into a fit of giggles.
"We should do this more often."
"Oh, definitely."
And there they sit, staring at the stars of universes light years away, indifferent about the could've beens.
╭─────────────────.★..─╮
𝚆𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗,
𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑.
╰─..★.─────────────────╯
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝.