Thanks again to bke.21 for the idea.
Cinder, Yang, Baking, AU
She wasn't going to lose. Not this year. She had to win, for Ruby's sake. She couldn't let that woman win. Not two years in a row. Even if that woman had cheated, it didn't change her desire to be the best.
The oven dinged for the umpteenth time that afternoon. The blonde ripped the oven open and yanked the tray out bare handed. Perfect golden cookies glowed under the soft kitchen light. Finally. The chocolate was a perfect gooey consistency and the cookie was a beautiful golden brown. These would be perfect.
While the cookies cooled, Yang ran around the kitchen, tidying up and grabbing a container for transporting her finally perfected treats. With gentle hands, she placed the cookies into a tupperware container lined with parchment paper. She had to be incredibly gentle, else no one would want them.
Taking the container as well as her carefully constructed sign, Yang made her way out the door and to her car. She had plenty of time to get to the school. The traffic being rather heavy for two in the afternoon on a tuesday, read, practically nonexistent. She pulled up to the side entrance with time to spare.
Grabbing her delicious confections and locking the car behind her, the blonde made her way into the school and followed the winding hallways to the gymnasium towards the back of the building. All throughout the halls hung signs advertising the day's special event.
Twelfth annual bake sale-This Tuesday in the gymnasium
All entries welcomed. Take a chance at being crowned cookie champion!
Yang knew she just had to get crowned cookie champion. Cinder couldn't be allowed to win! Yang had to do this! For her sister of course. It was all for her sister. It was Ruby after all who absolutely adored cookies. She'd eat them three meals a day if Yang would let her.
Tension began building in the blonde's stomach. She was not looking forward to facing her arch cookie nemesis. But sooner rather than later the door to the gymnasium appeared and Yang found herself pushing the door open and peering into the busy space.
Tables were lined up all the way around the expansive floor and all sorts of cakes and sweets covered every bit of real estate on those tables. Yang silently cursed herself for forgetting she might need her own table.
As she scanned, her eyes inevitably stopped on one individual in particular. Cinder had a whole table to herself and it was positively stuffed full of all sorts of sugary goodies. Of course Cinder looked up to see Yang staring her way and did what she always did. She sent the blonde a sly smile and a quick wink.
Yang rolled her eyes and sighed in annoyance. Every time. She was ready to head off to find herself a table but was stopped short by a motion on Cinder's part. The obsidian haired girl was waving her over. Most likely to gloat or flirt. Yang wasn't sure which would be worse.
Yang considered the alternatives but ultimately decided to just grit and bare it. So with heavy steps she slowly walked over to where the other girl was standing. Upon reaching the table they both greeted each other with overly sweet hellos.
"I see you came back for a second helping," Cinder teased.
Yang focused very hard on not letting her eyes roll as she replied. "You bet. But this time it'll be me coming on top."
"Well, that doesn't sound so bad at all," Cinder replied with a salacious smile.
Of course she would go there. "I have a brand new recipe. Best thing you'll ever taste."
"I wouldn't mind a little taste myself," Cinder drawled.
Jesus christ! This woman is worse than I am! "I'm sure I could work something out. But I don't seem to have a place to set up."
Cinder's smile widened even more at that. "I'd be happy to make room for you here. The more the merrier I say."
It was a tempting offer. But did Yang really want to spend the next hour standing next to this woman? Would she be able to survive the lewd comments and suggestive innuendos? How bad can it really be?
Bad. Things were bad.
Now, Yang was by no means a girl of virtue. Far from it, she liked to live wild and free. And she couldn't say she wasn't flattered by some of her table mate's more clever compliments. But she was already taken. In the past she might have played along, but ever since she had met Blake, everything was different.
Luckily for her their table was by far the busiest of all the stations set up in the gymnasium. The two woman had each built up a fabulous reputation from bake sales past. There was no disputing they were the best bakers in the room.
The day passed quickly, their supplies of treats slowly dwindling. Soon all that remained was the judging for the cookie champion. Ruby had come by the booth earlier, sneaking several liberal samples of Yang's baking. The blonde had needed to literally move her bothersome sister away to protect her deserts.
The judge began his rounds as usual. The silver haired man would walk the floor and take a single bite from each person's cookie. The cookies were judged based upon taste, smell, color, and flair.
When it was her turn, Yang bit her nails anxiously, a nasty habit she had that she never could seem to fully get rid of. The judge gave her a broad smile after tasting her cookie. That's a good thing, right?
"And now, the cookie champion of this twelfth annual school bake sale. Yang Xiao-Long"
She had done it. She had beaten Cinder. And if her sources were to be believed, it had literally been by a one point difference. Of course, now that she was champion, she had to defend her title. Already her brain began to formulate ways to make her cookies even better.
