25 Days of Ficmas 2023

Day Six: Christmas Cookie Contest (Bucky Barnes)

Avenger!Bucky Barnes x SingleMom!Baker!ReaderFem!Reader× SonFem!Reader x Twin DaughtersSummary: When the Avengers volunteer as judges for the 45th annual NYC Christmas Cookie Contest, a certain four-person team caught Bucky's undivided attention through the entire event. 

When FRIDAY woke the team up at six-fifteen in the morning, Bucky panicked in response to the blaring alarm the AI used.

Throwing on his black Henley and a pair of dark-wash jeans, the same outfit he had worn all day yesterday, Bucky bounded out of the room within the next minute. His face unwashed and his hair a wild mess from sleep.

Bursting into a coms room, Bucky was met with troubled glares from all his teammates. The first thing he noticed was that no one was in their tactical gear. Usually Steve was at least dressed and ready to go by the time the team resorted to sounding the alarm for an important mission. Instead, everyone was dress in dark jeans and colorful, warm sweaters.

"I told you he forgot." Nat gloated, happy to be right once again. " You owe me twenty, Stark." This had Bucky's gaze shooting to Tony, searching everyone's faces along the way to try and piece together what the hell was happening. "Hey, he might not have forgotten. I might still be right." Tony defended.

"No." Bucky piped up. "Natasha's right. I forgot what we're supposed to be doing." The embarrassment the super soldier felt from seemingly forgetting whatever mission they had that required such different outfits than normal was quelled completely by the joy he felt when Tony handed Natasha a hundred dollar bill with a mumbled. "Billionaires don't carry twenties." "Oh, I know." Nat verifies as she folds the crisp hundred dollar bill in half and sticks it in her bra.

"We got that cookie thing today, Buck." Steve was quick to fill his best friend in. "That means go get a more festive sweater on, Manchurian Candidate." Tony snapped in his classic 'angry joke' tone.

Bucky was back in less than three minutes with his face washed, clothed changed and his hair and teeth brushed. Meeting Steve in the common room after the rest of the team awayed in their respective modes of transport. "tick tock Bucky." Steve jokes as soon as he notices Bucky's approach. "Knock it off, Puck." Bucky responds. "We're gon' be late."

Entering the Community Center, The fifty teams of competitors were already lined up and being signed in by the master of ceremonies. Thanks to a fake announcement from Pepper, the press believed the Avengers were on the other side of town. This allowed for the rare occasion that the team was able to enter and exit the venue without having to wade through a sea of press.

"Welcome to day two of the forty-fifth annual NYC Christmas Cookie Contest. Yesterday all teams were tasked with making two dozen chocolate chip and a three dozen of their signature cookie. Today, they will need to make and decorate at least four dozen cookies consisting of a mixture of gingerbread, sugar, and peanut butter or alternative butter. judging will take place promptly at six thirty. Followed immediately by the cookies being bagged up and distributed to local youths."

With that, almost every group rushed to their designated workspace. One group, though, didn't have the ability to move as fast as the others due to the individual members of said group. It was also the only group that consisted of anyone under fourteen. The yearly contest was started decades ago as a way to let families help one another by using the provided ingredients to make cookies to give out to those who otherwise wouldn't get any.

Unfortunately, on only year eight the adults willing to spend two whole days of their already limited time off for the holidays dwindles so much that fourteen families were stuck dividing all the work. After the disaster that was tired teams and overheated ovens, the community center employees vowed to find a way to ensure interest in the event would stay high through the years.