This scene is so reminiscent of when Ron and his friends flew a car to Hogwarts in "Harry Potter" that Shiller was momentarily dazed. It wasn't until the car stopped in front of him and Stark waved proudly, "Steven told me that your favorite magic movie has a flying car in it, so I knew you'd love this. I'll give you one for your birthday too!"
"No need." Shiller shook his head, "Give me ten minutes; I'll go change my clothes."
Since it was just an ordinary family gathering, formal attire wasn't needed. Shiller chose a short sleeve shirt. Considering the Avengers Base has a backyard and it might be quite sunny at noon, he wore a sun hat. Since there was a pool in the backyard and water play was inevitable, he directly wore flip-flops. Grabbing his food and gifts, Shiller got into the car.
Peter and Stark were both dressed like they were going on vacation, both in T-shirts and shorts. Stark flamboyantly wore a short-sleeved jacket with American Stars and Stripes pattern, as if he had to steal the spotlight from Steve on this important day.
They drove all the way to above the Avengers Base. Stark shouted in the group chat, and people inside ran out through the back door. Steve, dressed in a white T-shirt, shaded his eyes with his hand and looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Jesus!" Steve slowly walked towards the vintage car parked in front of him, "What is this?! This..."
When Stark came down, he slammed the car door shut, leaned back, and burst into wild laughter, "Stark brand floating car! 1950 classic model!! How's this gift?!"
Steve was clearly too shocked to speak. Stark's judgment was spot-on. In Steve's mind, a true luxury car wasn't those modern streamlined sports cars but these luxurious vintage cars that were driven by the rich during his youth. As a little boy, he dreamed of owning such a cool car. Especially one that flies!
Steve gently touched the car's hood, which was a bit hot from the sun, but the smooth and sleek finish told his sense of touch just how well the car was made.
Stark pressed a button on a remote control, and the car suddenly floated about half a meter off the ground, but very steadily. The others who came out all shouted in astonishment.
"Oh my God!" Nick took off his sunglasses and couldn't help but curse in front of Steve. The Wolverine Logan, who followed behind, was also staring. Clearly, none of these old-timers disliked such luxury vintage cars.
The only one who remained reserved was Charles. He nodded and said to the Mutant beside him, "I had a car like this before at my estate in England. I think it was a Jaguar. But that was an inheritance from the Xavier family, and it didn't fly..."
Steve opened the car door and got inside. Peter raised his hand and said, "Captain, I'll show you how to operate it. I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a group of people with green-eyed envy squeezed him aside. The seats in the car were filled in an instant. Stark, who wasn't in the car, armed in his battlesuit, flew alongside the car and said, "Alright, let me show you old-timers how to drive..."
The others passionately discussed the flying car and then went back inside. Shiller was among them. When he walked in, he found that the whole Avengers Base had been transformed.
The walls of the room were directly changed to Stars and Stripes colors, turning into red-blue stripes with little party stars stuck on them. Stars were hung everywhere things could be hung. The upper parts of the walls were all decorated with triangular Stars and Stripes buntings. Posters of Captain America hung on the walls.
"Are you sure Steve likes this?" Shiller couldn't help but say, "I know he's patriotic, but this is Steve's birthday, not America's... Ah, wait, today is actually America's birthday."
"He wanted it arranged like this himself," Carter said, "Maybe he's more patriotic than you think."
Soon, the old-timers who went out for a drive came back. Steve was obviously very excited, his face a bit flushed. The others were loudly discussing the car's brand. Stark came in last, slowly walked in, then leaned against the frame of the back door, crossing his arms and looking up. Pride needed no words.
Steve went back and firmly patted his shoulder, saying, "No matter what gift anyone gives me after this, I won't take back my words. This is the best gift I've ever received in my life!"
Shiller could tell that although Stark appeared reserved, he was probably thrilled inside. If his nickname was Iron Can, now it would probably be like putting a big bomb inside the can. To prevent it from exploding, Shiller quickly said, "It's about time, let's set the table."
Carter nodded and said, "Come on, if anyone has a lot of dishes, I can help you get them."
"Oh hey, wait a minute!" Wanda, who was munching on chips, quickly tossed the snack aside and rushed out, saying, "We need to shoot a food display video! Everyone should hold their dish in front of the camera and say what they brought. Our fans asked us to do it half a month ago, we can't let them down! Eddie... Eddie! Did you bring the camera I asked you to bring?"
"Got it!" Eddie carried the equipment in through the front door, set up the tripod in the corner of the room, and then had everyone spread out. They each took their dish, queued up, and walked over to display them.
The video was simple, with no editing needed, a continuous shot from start to finish. Once filmed, it could be uploaded directly.
It's rare these days to have so many Superheroes gathered in one place, so it quickly became a hot topic. But below the video, many people were tagging a somewhat unfamiliar name.
Shiller clicked on the person's homepage and found out it was a social media influencer called the "Food Judge," a Black woman from Jamaica. Her followers were tagging her, asking her to judge the superheroes' culinary skills.
It seemed like she was already recording a video. Not long after, the account posted a new video. The camera focused directly on her face.
"A lot of people asked me to try this, so here I am. I hope you don't mind, superheroes. I'm a fair person; I won't go easy on you just because of your past contributions."
"Hello, everyone. We're Wanda and JARVIS. This is the Provence stew we've brought..." Wanda and JARVIS showed it to the camera. Brightly colored vegetables were neatly arranged on the plate, looking very appetizing.
"25 years in prison, no parole! That stuff has no flavor. Next!" the food judge said.
"Uh, hello, everyone. I'm Peter Parker. I've brought my aunt's specialty raspberry pie." Peter held up the large raspberry pie to the camera. The surface had a golden, enticing color. He even cut open the pie in front of the camera, producing an extremely crispy sound, and then a rosy-red jam flowed out.
"50 years in prison without parole—for your lawyer, the prosecuting attorney who brought charges against you, and the Uber driver who took you to court. As for you, boy, you'll receive the key to the city! Next!"
"Hello, I'm Carter. I made Steve his favorite meat pie. Although I don't usually cook much, I completed this with Steve's help." Carter showed off her creation to the camera. A meat pie was placed inside the baking dish, cooked to a golden brown; you could see the juices flowing inside.
"Out of respect for your love, the court finds you not guilty and dismisses all charges against you. But you could do a bit more. I'll be watching you," the food judge said, pointing at her eyes and then the screen.
"Hi, I'm Eddie. I must explain that I originally made molten chocolate cakes, but this guy..." Eddie pointed to the sprout-like Venom on his shoulder and said, "He ate all the cakes overnight. So I could only whip up some cream toast this morning..."
Eddie showed the toast on the plate to the camera. It looked quite nice but was small, about a loaf's worth.
"Death row!!!" the food judge shouted. "For your little pet! You! And your lawyer! Next!"
"Good morning! I'm an anonymous SHIELD Agent and a loyal fan of the Captain. This is the cake I made for his birthday theme. The decoration on top is fondant, which I worked on all night. I personally whipped the cream, and I baked the cake myself..."
"Give them the open pear!—For the prosecutor who brought charges against you and the witnesses he found, while the court dismisses all charges against you. You're free to go, sir. Next!"
"Well, I'm also a SHIELD Agent, and my partner is a scientist. This is the Olivier salad I brought, along with the rye bread my partner and I made together. This is an improved version, not as hard..."
Ivan showed the dishes to the camera, while Natasha narrated next to him.
"10 years in prison, no parole! Anyway, all Russian bread I've ever eaten was as hard as the rock Sisyphus pushed! The salad saved a bit of face for you; otherwise, you'd be headed to death row too. Next!"
"Hello, everyone. I'm Charles Xavier, and this is my partner..." Charles tried hard to pull the person beside him, but couldn't move him at all. He had to present the dish by himself. "This is the German roasted pork knuckle we made. It's a specialty from his hometown. Although it's meat, it's not greasy at all..."
"I completely believe you, blue eyes. The court dismisses all charges against you. But the police officer who arrested you and the prosecuting attorney will be sentenced to hanging. Next!"
"Uh, hello, everyone. I'm Polaris. This is the tiramisu my boyfriend Iceman and I made. Please trust that it's very fresh; after we finished making it this morning, he blew on it, and it instantly became chilled..."
Polaris seemed a bit awkward. She clearly felt that compared to others' distinctive dishes, tiramisu was a bit too ordinary. However, her tiramisu looked great, presented in the same large plate as Peter's, with a thick layer of coffee powder dusted on top. After cutting a piece, you could see the distinct layers, with clear signs of ladyfingers at the bottom, done in a classic Italian style.
"25 years in solitary confinement—for the police officer who brought you here and his K9. As for you, madam, you may go; the court dismisses all charges against you. Next!"
"I'm Hawkeye. This is the Iowa cured bacon I've brought. I know most bacon you have is smoked, but you must try this method from my hometown, it will definitely revolutionize your perception of bacon. It's not dry at all and is very tender..." Hawkeye displayed his work to the camera. There were about three or four strips of bacon on the plate, with perfect coloring and fat-to-lean distribution.
"The court temporarily finds you not guilty, but it seems the portion is a bit small. You could definitely make more, and I'll be keeping an eye on you..." the food judge said, narrowing her eyes.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Doctor Schiller. This is the Peking duck and Cantonese roast goose I've brought. I indeed spent quite some effort making them, but it was all worth it. You have to hear how crispy this skin is..."
"Oh, God! Who brought him here? Who?! This officer will be sentenced to stoning! And you, Doctor, we will plant 100 trees in your name. Then erect two statues in the city for you, one holding a duck, the other holding a goose. Next!"