𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 | 𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐱

thirteen.

It's almost jarring how quickly the last round seems to go by because you recall the first had felt at least a good thirty minutes longer, but a perfect hour and a half after the first blaring, the buzzer goes off once more.

You and Felix manage to finish just in time, but you two aren't nervous because Hole in One Doughnuts seems to have barely finished your three recipes.

They judge the rookies first, building up your anticipation and nerves when you see the team smile. Then, the judges come your way, asking about the recipe, and how you both managed to get such a killer flavor when cooking the other team's dishes and adding your own flair.

Chan leans towards your face, rubbing your cheek. "Seriously, I think I'll have to marry you if it means I get to eat this good," he flirts, then backs off, hands raised in surrender at Felix's glare. "Don't worry, Sprinkles, I'm not trying to steal your partner."

You snicker at the nickname to hide your flusteredness, but you can't help but feel a sense of pride wash over you at the thought of Felix still caring for you as you did him. It didn't matter if he did—obviously... right? You were just... curious. Note the uncertainty in your inner statements. Please.

"As we announced earlier, we will be giving the final verdicts tomorrow. For now, please feel free to pack up and head home for the day! Thank you all for coming, and remember, you may interact with the bakers, but you are not allowed to crowd them, or you'll be escorted off the premises. Have a great day," Chan states sternly, before switching to English and using his thick Australian accent to translate for himself.

He hops off the stage not long after, heading to you with his buff arms and charming smiles. You grin too, cleaning hurriedly. "Hey Chan, how's the best judge ever doing?" You say, using a tone that lets him know what you're getting at.

"It almost hurts that you're buttering me up, just to win," he chuckles, lifting one of the heavy boxes as you two fall into conversation as if Felix isn't even there. This must've been what it was like to be stuck in a room with him and Mina. "Anyway, we don't know yet either. We have to discuss it, so you'll just have to wait like everyone else."

You pout at him, handing him another heavy box to put in the truck. "Eh, it was worth a shot."

Before you can put another box into Chan's beautifully toned arms, Felix appears in front of you, taking the heavy container and putting it into the truck with faux ease. He wanted to appear as if he could do what Chan could effortlessly, even if it took a lot of effort in reality. "I'm sure we'll win, [Y/N]."

You shudder at how rich and smooth his voice is, and you're reminded of how it was so easy to fall in love with. Recovering quickly, you nod, stuffing another box closed and placing it in Felix's arms—he practically lifted it off the table—and smiles. "Yeah, I mean, the bakery had a great run this year."

The younger boy tries to hide his disappointment—he meant that you two would win because you were a great pair, not because the bakery just had talented bakers—and thankfully, he succeeds. With a nod, his eyes become sideways moons. "Yep, so it doesn't matter how much you bribe Mr. Bang over here."

Chan rolls his eyes and gives you a look that says, "Is he serious right now?" as you two watch Felix use all his mighty strength to just barely get the last box into the truck. You nod, barely concealing your giggles when he turns around. Chan stares at you for a moment, before he finally decides, "Hey, can I talk to you privately for a moment?"

You nod, opening your mouth to say yes, when Felix suddenly revs the truck, "Hey, we really have to get going."

You sigh, hugging Chan and giving him an apologetic smile as to say, "Next time", though he knows that was his shot and he failed to shoot it. "See you tomorrow, Chan!" you throw over your shoulder as you jog to the passenger side, climbing in.

Felix sits there awkwardly, chewing his cheek as he contemplates his words. With a deep, scared breath, he starts, "He was going to ask you out."

You stare at him, "No he wasn't, Chan and I are just friends," you argue, eyebrows furrowed. Chan wasn't into you that way, right? Besides, why was Felix so concerned?

Felix nods his head, "He was. I know when a guy's going to ask a girl out. It was obvious with how he looked at you," like I used to, he finishes his sentence in his head, sighing audibly. "He likes you."

You shake your head. "No, he doesn't."

Felix shrugs, then turns to meet your eyes. "If he did ask you out, would you have said yes?"

The mood you two had going on earlier, light and fluffy–like a cloud–had disappeared, instead replaced with this fog of seriousness that made both of you feel unsettled.

You search Felix's face, as he does yours, and you wonder how you forgot how his freckles looked like stars on his cheeks with imaginary constellations. Looking from one of his eyes to the other, you shake your head. "No."

Felix can't help the smile that ghosts over his face, and his eyes are so much brighter and filled with that emotion you hadn't felt from him in so long.

"Why?" Now it's your turn to ask the questions, except the air around you isn't as suffocating anymore. "Why don't you want me to go out with Chan?"

He holds in his breath, eyes slowly dropping from yours to your nose, chin, then his lap–his head falling a bit as well. He obviously knows why, it's so blatant that he's almost completely sure you know why too, the innocent and curious look in your optics the only thing telling him otherwise. "Because I-I..." He doesn't get the words out and changes his answer. Maybe he wasn't as ready as he thought. "I just don't think he's a good fit for you."

You scoff. "You don't get to have an opinion on that, Felix," you remind him. What was up with him thinking he had any sort of authority over your relationship?

He starts the car, turning up the radio to a low pop song. He wants to ease the mood, make you laugh, or smile. So he cracks a joke, "What does the baking soda say when he gets sad?" He waits for your confused shrug. "I'm sodapressed."

You can't help the snort you let out from suppressing your laughter. Felix feels thankful for the cheesy joke website he stumbled across a few days ago, because it allowed him to make you glow. "Jeez, that was so corny."

"I'm just trying my best to make you loaf," he says so smoothly that you don't realize he's made yet another pun until you think about his words, covering your mouth to hide your giggling fit. You weren't one for cheesy jokes, but they were funny sometimes. "Hey, don't cover your mouth, you're pretty when you smile."

He doesn't realize what he said, focused too much on driving, but you do. It's not the first time he'd told you those words, and you get the same fluttery feeling in your heart.

"Hey, don't cover your mouth, you're pretty when you smile." He moved your palm down from your face. You were in your senior year of high school, and he had yet to ask you out.

You had flushed, giggling girlishly at his action. You had gotten used to covering your mouth because you were self-conscious about your smile, but Felix made that all melt away.

"There's that beautiful smile!"

He asked you out later that day.

a/n: I hope you're all enjoying! If you are, please don't hesitate to leave feedback as either comments, messages in dms/on my conversation board or through a simple vote <3 I hope you have a great day/night! Thank you for reading!