Second place is for losers
Title: Second place is for losers
Theme and prompt/s: Records - Arthur/Gwen, modern AU, office competition, Gwen is a lot more competitive that Arthur realised
Rating: Gen
Characters/Pairings: Arthur, Gwen
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Author's notes: Written for the ag_fics MC6 challenge.
The sound of banging pans broke Arthur out of his slumber; his first thought was robbers, but a quick look at the left side of the bed meant that it wasn’t. He shuffled his way into the kitchen.
“Gwen?”
“You’re up, good!” When she turned to look at him, she had what he guessed was chocolate sauce on her cheek and flour in her hair. And that apron, that goddamn apron he was beginning to hate on sight.
“Gwen, it is four thirty in the freaking morning.” The kitchen table was covered with mini muffins in 5 separate serving plates.
“Better to get an early start, especially today.” She picked up the metal bowl in front of her and resumed whisking it.
“How long have you been up?”
“Never mind that.” She walked over to him, pointing at the serving plates. “That’s white chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate with rum-flavored caramel filling, double chocolate and dark chocolate with caramel filling. I’m mixing up milk chocolate with vanilla.”
Arthur sighed, intent on resting his elbows on the table, but with everything placed upon it there was no room.
“Now get to tasting and tell me which one you like best. The scorecards and crackers are on the counter.”
“Gwen, you do know that you can only enter one of those in the competition.”
“No, I didn’t know that. It’s my first time entering it.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice and she rolled her eyes before turning her back to him.
“I don’t understand why this is so important to you.”
She picked up the remaining clean muffin pan and set it next to the bowl. “You wouldn’t. You’re good at everything you do. You’re the most successful VP in the company, after all. Me? I’m just Morgana’s Personal Assistant; it’s my job to be invisible, to be her shadow. But once a year, I get to shine, and be recognized and appreciated for my baking.”
He came up behind her, fitting his chin in the crook of her neck and sliding his hand over her stomach. “You’re the best Personal Assistant anybody could have and the best baker I know.”
“I didn’t win last year though, did I? 4 years in the row I got the trophy, a company record.” She paused in filling out the tenth cup and glanced at the oven top where the ‘Best pastry’ awards sat proudly. “Last year I got complacent, lazy, comfortable.”
“Gwen, you didn’t lose, you came in second.”
She stiffened in his arms. “Second place is not a winner, Arthur. So forgive me if I try to be inventive, innovative to regain what was once mine.” She disengaged from him, lifted up the filled muffin pan and walked over to the preheated oven, sticking it in one-handedly.
“Gwen, I…” He started to say, but stopped. If anybody had told him that the sweet, demure Gwen he’d fallen in love with would turn out to be so competitive over baking, he wouldn’t have believed it. As it stood, the bathroom scale would already be showing the results of her efforts to guarantee a win through all the trial batches she’d had prepared if he hadn’t upped his work-outs accordingly.
It had all started with fifteen original muffin mixes that had been narrowed down to six, through careful voting ballots dispatched between Merlin and Morgana, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan and himself. Three batches per week, they were now in the final stretch, the sixth week where the competition would take place. And the final deciding vote was left up to him. That was a pressure entirely different from the one he felt at work, yet the task at hand was as equally important. He prayed he was up to it.
The only way he could help her at this point, was to start sampling. “Okay.” At his words, Gwen rewarded him with a soft smile and he walked over to her, unable to suppress the urge to kiss her. His intent must have shown in his face, because she halted him with one hand on his chest. "I don’t want to be distracted.”
He chuckled, taking a seat at the table. The pencil was tucked into the scorecards, because Gwen was nothing if not efficient.
“Now, be sure to eat a cracker between every tasting, that way you really get the flavor of each muffin.”
“Yes, dear.” He replied mockingly and dodged the rag coming at his head.
Each muffin was to be evaluated on fluffiness, taste and the flavor combination which worked best. He could feel his eyes on her as he ate one of each, making a big show of swallowing a cracker whole in between, but stubbornly keeping his eyes down until he’d taken his last bite.
She held out her hand and he handed over the completed scorecards, stretching as she scanned them quickly. “So dark chocolate with caramel filling?”
“Definitely. I think it’s a winner.”
It turned out that it was, and a fifth award was added to the oven top.
Feedback is ♥.
Theme and prompt/s: Records - Arthur/Gwen, modern AU, office competition, Gwen is a lot more competitive that Arthur realised
Rating: Gen
Characters/Pairings: Arthur, Gwen
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Author's notes: Written for the ag_fics MC6 challenge.
The sound of banging pans broke Arthur out of his slumber; his first thought was robbers, but a quick look at the left side of the bed meant that it wasn’t. He shuffled his way into the kitchen.
“Gwen?”
“You’re up, good!” When she turned to look at him, she had what he guessed was chocolate sauce on her cheek and flour in her hair. And that apron, that goddamn apron he was beginning to hate on sight.
“Gwen, it is four thirty in the freaking morning.” The kitchen table was covered with mini muffins in 5 separate serving plates.
“Better to get an early start, especially today.” She picked up the metal bowl in front of her and resumed whisking it.
“How long have you been up?”
“Never mind that.” She walked over to him, pointing at the serving plates. “That’s white chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate with rum-flavored caramel filling, double chocolate and dark chocolate with caramel filling. I’m mixing up milk chocolate with vanilla.”
Arthur sighed, intent on resting his elbows on the table, but with everything placed upon it there was no room.
“Now get to tasting and tell me which one you like best. The scorecards and crackers are on the counter.”
“Gwen, you do know that you can only enter one of those in the competition.”
“No, I didn’t know that. It’s my first time entering it.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice and she rolled her eyes before turning her back to him.
“I don’t understand why this is so important to you.”
She picked up the remaining clean muffin pan and set it next to the bowl. “You wouldn’t. You’re good at everything you do. You’re the most successful VP in the company, after all. Me? I’m just Morgana’s Personal Assistant; it’s my job to be invisible, to be her shadow. But once a year, I get to shine, and be recognized and appreciated for my baking.”
He came up behind her, fitting his chin in the crook of her neck and sliding his hand over her stomach. “You’re the best Personal Assistant anybody could have and the best baker I know.”
“I didn’t win last year though, did I? 4 years in the row I got the trophy, a company record.” She paused in filling out the tenth cup and glanced at the oven top where the ‘Best pastry’ awards sat proudly. “Last year I got complacent, lazy, comfortable.”
“Gwen, you didn’t lose, you came in second.”
She stiffened in his arms. “Second place is not a winner, Arthur. So forgive me if I try to be inventive, innovative to regain what was once mine.” She disengaged from him, lifted up the filled muffin pan and walked over to the preheated oven, sticking it in one-handedly.
“Gwen, I…” He started to say, but stopped. If anybody had told him that the sweet, demure Gwen he’d fallen in love with would turn out to be so competitive over baking, he wouldn’t have believed it. As it stood, the bathroom scale would already be showing the results of her efforts to guarantee a win through all the trial batches she’d had prepared if he hadn’t upped his work-outs accordingly.
It had all started with fifteen original muffin mixes that had been narrowed down to six, through careful voting ballots dispatched between Merlin and Morgana, Gwaine, Percival and Elyan and himself. Three batches per week, they were now in the final stretch, the sixth week where the competition would take place. And the final deciding vote was left up to him. That was a pressure entirely different from the one he felt at work, yet the task at hand was as equally important. He prayed he was up to it.
The only way he could help her at this point, was to start sampling. “Okay.” At his words, Gwen rewarded him with a soft smile and he walked over to her, unable to suppress the urge to kiss her. His intent must have shown in his face, because she halted him with one hand on his chest. "I don’t want to be distracted.”
He chuckled, taking a seat at the table. The pencil was tucked into the scorecards, because Gwen was nothing if not efficient.
“Now, be sure to eat a cracker between every tasting, that way you really get the flavor of each muffin.”
“Yes, dear.” He replied mockingly and dodged the rag coming at his head.
Each muffin was to be evaluated on fluffiness, taste and the flavor combination which worked best. He could feel his eyes on her as he ate one of each, making a big show of swallowing a cracker whole in between, but stubbornly keeping his eyes down until he’d taken his last bite.
She held out her hand and he handed over the completed scorecards, stretching as she scanned them quickly. “So dark chocolate with caramel filling?”
“Definitely. I think it’s a winner.”
It turned out that it was, and a fifth award was added to the oven top.
Feedback is ♥.