Ugh, this is so cheesy. Please send me any Lucaya prompts! I'd love to see what you guys want to read. It's been sweet right now, but I can do angst, drama, whatever :)
Lucas tries desperately to remove the remnants of flour that have taken residence on his person. It's not the first time he's cooked a meal, but this time it's for Maya, making it doubly important. He's up at 5 am this morning completing the process, as he wants the dish to be fresh. It's something she'll be eating and hopefully forgiving Lucas by the time she's done.
While standing in the hallway, he grips the Tupperware he's holding even tighter, pausing to ready himself for what lay ahead. Just a few steps away sits Maya, waiting for home room to begin. Her back is to him, but she's in a good mood. Her hair is down, and she's wearing that favorite yellow dress of hers. Maya's hands move animatedly as she talks to Yindra across the room. The curly-haired girl sees Lucas first and his heart goes into overdrive because Yindra is smiling before they make eye contact. When her eyes flit to Maya, she swiftly turns to face Lucas.
Stepping into the classroom, he knows he has entered the den of the lioness. Alone, she's quiet, yet fierce. But with her pack? Maybe Lucas should have cooked a full course meal.
It begins last Saturday. A whole gang of bodies lay in various positions throughout Riley's living room. Their class meets every weekend now to watch episodes of Chopped Junior. It's rare that one of Zay's ideas has caught on and he never fails to show how proud he is.
"I'm so glad you could make it," Zay ushers visiting classmates into Riley's apartment as if it's his own.
About a month ago, Lucas' best friend bursts into homeroom talking to Dave and Yogi about something excitedly.
"Honestly? Sophie was robbed." Dave has a passionate fire in his eyes that Lucas has never seen before.
At Lucas' raised eyebrow, Zay rolls his eyes.
"Don't get interested now. I invited you to watch Chopped Junior with Dave, Yogi, and I, but noooo, you'd rather hang out with your girlfriend."
Maya's blue eyes roll towards Lucas in faint shock.
"Chopped Junior?" She sputters. There's a smile growing on Maya's face. She perks up and leans toward the trio of boys that stand in front of her desk. And then it's clear. Lucas has crawled into some twilight zone where his friends are obsessed with tiny child chefs.
"I love that show, Zay, why didn't you tell me?" Maya asks in mild despair.
"Wait, Chopped Junior? I watch that every week!" Comes from Yindra behind them all. The entire class starts murmuring now and he hopes that the bell will ring anytime soon.
It's when Riley and Farkle enter the room that he's relieved. Finally, two people who he can find normalcy with.
Riley stops mid-strut before making it to her seat, eyes wide, plugging two index fingers in her ears. Farkle smirks delightfully. "And this is why I told you to catch up."
"Are you serious?" Lucas groans out loud. His classmates quiet down a little, glancing his way for a second only to go right back to their excitement.
It's this day that inspires Zay's suggestion of watching this ridiculous cooking competition as a group. When their teacher walks in, he prays Mr. Matthews will shut down the invasion of his home. But of course, he only loves the idea. "I'll buy the popcorn!" His teacher yells in delight.
Sign up lists are passed around for who'll bring what snacks and refreshments to Riley's home.
He hesitantly arrives to the Matthews' residence that weekend with Maya by his side.
"Cheer up Huckleberry, this is going to be worth it," Maya says. She squeezes his arm as they settle into the couch. What he later bashfully admits to Maya on their walk home is that she was right. Within a 23 minute program, Lucas knows it. He's obsessed with this annoying show too and finds himself waiting anxiously for every weekend to arrive. Instead of movie nights, he and Maya binge the first season together so he's caught up. They scrap the recipes online and try to disastrously recreate them together in her kitchen after school. He's watching them on the Food Network app before they even air. He just attends the required social event of the week to hear the arguments between his friends and knowingly takes the side of the winner. It's the sneakiest thing Lucas has ever done. But he should have known it would backfire on him.
Amidst the intense episode they're watching, he finds his entire body clenched with stress. Maya is rooting for a snotty-nosed brat who doesn't even get past the dessert round. He knows Carter won't make it after the appetizer but she's being so cocky.
"Maya, Carter doesn't even know the difference between ghee and margarine. You'll see when he goes home and Matt takes it all."
The air in the room turns violent, quickly, and he winces at the amount of yelling and even the sound of a door opening. But it's the expression on Maya's face that breaks him. She doesn't leave like the others, but she's not shy with how she feels about Lucas' betrayal. The entire weekend, Lucas suffers the harsh reality that he has ruined Chopped night also whilst breaking Maya's trust.
When he eases into his seat behind Maya, she faces forward, swiftly breaking their eye contact.
"I wanted to apologize-"
"It's one thing that you're watching without me, but then to spoil it?" He can't see her, but she's still exasperated and Lucas is very aware how silly this would look to an outsider. They've completely committed themselves to a cooking show for children. It's exhilarating to watch, though, which is why they're so invested.
"Maya-"
When they're facing each other again, her eyes wait for an answer. Some kind of explanation.
"I'm so sorry, Maya. This bizarre tradition means something and I jeopardized that. I broke a sacred vow and I know that I don't deserve to be forgiven, but I just couldn't help it! The celebrity judge was Tony Hawk and-"
He's stopped his rambling because her eyes glimmer and her toothy grin breaks into laughter.
"Okay, I give in. Your eyes are so sweet and sad right now. Honestly, you've got to see your face." She's snickering joyfully, which is better than how she'd been towards him all weekend. And finally, he sees that he's always been forgiven. That Maya hasn't been that angry with him afterall.
Lucas matches her smirk and looks down in his hands.
"But you absolutely have to promise you'll never do it again," Maya extends her pinky. He takes it willingly and knows there's no going back on this one.
"I made this for you," he slides the packed dish onto her desk. His stomach takes a dive as if he were a contestant himself.
She takes the lid off excitedly, her nostrils flare and it's the most adorable thing. "A pepperoni pizza! With lamb loin chops?" she grabs his hand, gratefully.
"These were just some of the foods from the first episode we watched together. I wanted you to know that no matter what, I'm mostly glad that this craziness has only brought us together." He's gentle, and little flushed. It's corny as all get out, but it's his truth.
He's happy to find that Maya is rendered speechless, but her eyes say enough. Lucas is back on her good side as long as he doesn't screw this up again.
The bell eventually rings, bringing in the rest of their friends. When Riley, Farkle and Zay see Maya, she nods in approval. Then, in a move that confuses Lucas, the three of them break out their wallets.
"I knew he'd cook food." Farkle is smiling towards Lucas which annoys Riley.
"Lucas the Good, always living up to your name," she scoffs as she sits down. He doesn't miss her handing over 2 dollars.
He's still on thin ice with their group so he takes his annoyance and stuffs it. Maya gives one last look back, and she's still smiling but it's softer. They're okay now, which is all that matters to him.
He decides to give up his advanced viewings, which doesn't even measure up to hanging out with Maya and their friends on a Saturday.
Before Mr. Matthews takes roll call, Lucas feels Zay lean in towards his ear. "Don't forget, you're still banned from the watch parties for at least another week."
A/N:
Only this bunch could be that dramatic over an episode of Chopped. If you're wondering who was the first to leave after Lucas' slip, it was Zay, of course. He takes his Chopped Junior seriously lol! Don't forget to leave a review/Lucaya prompts for me to write~
