Chapter Text
“So Rey, what are you looking to get out of this process?”
Rey worried her lip between her teeth, thinking on that question. It was a difficult one. If she gave the wrong answer, she may not be chosen to be a part of the cast.
She chose to shrug and give her full instinctive answer.
“I suppose I just love baking.” She hesitated, but the casting agent stared her down until Rey felt the need to elaborate.
“And I’d really like to be somebody. To make something of myself.”
As her words fell from her mouth, the casting agent’s expression changed. Not to pity or sadness but to curiosity. “What do you mean? Do you think you’re a nobody?” prompted the agent.
Again Rey shrugged. She looked down at her hands before turning back to the camera. “My parents have died. I have no siblings or living relatives left. I’m just a girl working at a cafe in Wolverhampton.” She had friends of course, but not a lifelong relationship. “This could help me turn things around. Move up in life. Make a career for myself. I want baking to be more than just a hobby that drives my roommate insane.”
“Your roommate nominated you for the show. How did that feel?”
She considered the question for a moment. “I guess at first I was a bit upset, because this is a massive thing to take on,” Rey explained, her hands fidgeting in her lap. “But when I really got to thinking about it, I was flattered. I’ve never had someone think so highly of me or my baking before. She and our mates across the hall — they all love my baking.”
“Do you think you’re a good baker?”
Rey smiled, thinking back to all the successes she’d had in the kitchen — to the faint memory she had of she and her mum, baking together in the English countryside cottage where she’d grown up — and she nodded. She looked wistful as she answered, “I like to think so, yes. My mum taught me.”
“Do you think she’d be proud?”
Smile fading, Rey took a deep breath and braced herself. This was always difficult to talk about. Rey hesitated. “I think so, yes. I try all the time to make her proud. My dad, too.”
When she finished speaking, Rey looked to the casting agent. The look of pride and satisfaction on their face gave Rey a flicker of hope that she just might be chosen for this show.
Maybe.
——
Week Three
The first time Rey noticed him, it was bread week and he was beating the hell out of his dough. They were meant to be kneading it, building up the gluten so the bread would have the right consistency and appease Paul Hollywood. And Rey was doing that, her biceps pressing almost painfully hard against the restraining fabric of her flannel shirt. She hadn’t planned her outfit through very well.
Hux kept smacking his dough against the counter, though, and it was distracting Rey. Their workstations changed every week, and this week he was directly behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, barely managing to bite back a less-than-polite remark.
Even though she’d only snuck a brief glance backwards, it was enough for their eyes to meet. His striking green eyes bore into her, almost like a challenge. Do you have something to say?
They were down to ten of them, and Rey certainly didn’t want to make enemies of everyone who was left. Who knew what would happen if something went wrong down the road and he was the only one left to help?
Instead of engaging him, Rey turned back to her own bread dough and continued kneading it peacefully against her workbench. She wanted her bread to be just right and refused to let someone like Hux get into her head and ruin all of her hard work.
As much as she tried, Rey just couldn’t hide the smug grin on her face as Hux was told later at judging that he’d overworked his dough. Meanwhile, Rey’s was just chewy enough with a beautiful crust. She tried not to look too smug.
—
For as much as Rey liked to believe that she could be a good sport, she was genuinely bitter about the fact that Hux had gotten crowned Star Baker that week. It meant he’d been the top of the pack, even with his overworked bread, and that wasn’t acceptable to Rey. She had to work harder. Practice more. Finn, Rose, and Poe were going to be so sick of desserts by the next weekend because Rey was determined now to not only stay in the competition for another week but also to get Star Baker.
On the train ride home, Rey sat next to the window, her earbuds in and a soothing song playing in her ears. It was a playlist put together for her by Poe, specifically meant to calm her frayed nerves after a stressful weekend of having her baking judged.
As she watched the trees and sheep soar by on their way to Reading station, a flash of color out of the corner of her eye drew her attention. Across the aisle, facing the opposite direction as her, Rey noticed Hux sitting with a book in hand. He, too, wore earbuds, making it clear that he had no intentions of making conversation with anyone.
The other contestants were somewhere on the train as well — they all took the train to Reading before parting ways to their respective cities — but this was the first time Rey had seen any of them take a seat near her.
Her breath caught when Hux looked up and caught her staring. Their gaze held and as it did, Rey’s heart thrummed wildly in her chest. Was he going to say something? Should she say something?
But before she could really come to a decision, he blinked and then turned back to his book. Rey would even swear that he’d given her the briefest of nods, an acknowledgement of sorts, but what it meant she had no clue.
Rey was thoroughly taken aback by that, and tried not to dwell upon it the whole way home.
After they transferred in Reading, Rey thought far less about it. She sat alone on the ride up to Wolverhampton, finally beginning to relax knowing she was the only contestant on this train. The closer she got to home, the more giddy she felt at the prospect of yet again telling her friends that she’d made it another round. The excitement never diminished, not even as she carried the same news week after week.
Sure enough, the three of them waited in the train station for her, and Rose squealed loudly as soon as she saw Rey’s glowing smile.
“You made it!?” Poe asked hopefully.
Rey barely had a chance to nod before Rose and Finn had wrapped her up in a hug. Rey smiled at Poe over Rose’s shoulder, and she felt silly for ever doubting herself. She was sure it was only a matter of time until Rose said —
“I told you so.”
She’d been the one to fill out Rey’s application and get the process going. One bite of Rey’s baking and she’d insisted Rey compete on the show. She was completely confident that Rey would win, even. Rey was so grateful for them, her loyal band of American expats.
“So tell us all about it!” Poe urged as Finn and Rose lessened their grip on her.
Rey shrugged as Finn took her bag for her and they began walking to Rose’s car. She was the only one of them who drove, and ended up hauling them all everywhere they needed to go, like their own personal cab driver.
“Well…”
So Rey launched into a retelling of the weekend, not holding back her frustration when she mentioned the part where Hux beat the hell out of his bread, overworked it, but still managed to be Star Baker. “Wait a minute, so this guy seriously screwed up, but still got to win?” Rose asked, appalled.
“Exactly!” Rey exclaimed.
Finn looked at Rey for a moment, studying her, and Rey glared at him for the gaze. She was pretty sure she knew what he was thinking, and it wouldn’t surprise her if he opened his mouth to ask her something about Hux’s appearance.
Thankfully, Rose ranted a little bit before Finn had an opening, and it gave Rey a chance to come up with a witty response.
“So…” Finn began, trying to be casual. “Is he cute?”
Rey rolled her eyes. “I knew you were going to ask me that.”
“Hey, is it really so bad if we’re hoping you meet someone in all of this?” Rose chimed in, coming to Finn’s defense.
“You guys do realize that nobody else lives around here, right? If I did date someone from the show, which I won’t —” she gave them all a very dangerous warning look, “I’d end up having to leave here, and then you’d all miss me and it’d just be a terrible mess.”
“Oh, come on, we could handle it if it meant you fell in love!”
Rey sat back in her seat, shaking her head. “I’m on Bake-Off, not Love Island, thanks.”
Rose laughed and said, “Careful, or that’s the one I’ll apply for on your behalf next.”
“I’m not hot enough, but nice try,” Rey said, falling into laughter because the prospect of her on Love Island was just too ridiculous to even fathom. Nobody else seemed to be laughing though, which Rey found curious. It killed her laughter, and she felt the need to say, “I’m serious, guys. I’m not going to get a boyfriend on this show.”
“I only asked if he’s cute, you’re the one who went straight to the boyfriend thing,” Finn said defensively.
Rey’s cheeks colored pink. She didn’t know how to answer the question. “I mean… he’s not ugly,” she said lamely, trying to give Finn a fair answer.
“So he’s hot,” Rose said bluntly.
“Alright, alright, stop picking on her,” Poe interrupted. He knew when Rey had endured enough. And true to his basically-a-big-brother status, he shut down the conversation in its tracks by abruptly changing the subject. “Guess who’s got a gig downtown this week? It’s on a Thursday, so Rey, you could go!”
Rey shot Poe a grateful smile and said, “I’m going to guess you, and I’ll be there.”
He let out an excited whoop, and Rey pointedly ignored the odd look Finn was giving her. She didn’t know what she thought of Hux’s appearance because quite honestly, she hadn’t gotten a good enough look to make a fair judgment, and on top of that, he was a bit pretentious at this point in the competition so that was definitely coloring her opinion.
Thankfully, that conversation was over, and they had moved on to Poe’s music.
When they got to the building where all of their flats were, Poe asked, “So what’s the baking theme this next week? What will we eat so much of that we’ll never want to eat it again?”
“Desserts,” Rey said smugly. “Ready for your favorite course to be ruined forever?”
“I wouldn’t say forever,” Rose argued. “But for the next few months? I think I could probably handle it so you can keep going back to see Hux.”
“Is that his first name?” Finn asked, confused.
Rey shook her head. “No. A few people this time around go by their middle or last names, and he’s one of them. And then there’s Connix, and Mitaka… and Phasma. Phasma’s amazing,” Rey gushed. “She’s tall — really tall — and she’s so tough. And she never panics or even breaks a sweat, and it’s not fair at all.”
“I think we know who Rey really has a crush on,” Poe teased.
He carried her bag upstairs for her, as Rey said, “I don’t have a crush on her, I just sort of want to be her.”
“Easy. Just go to the gym like I’ve been trying to get you to do for weeks,” Finn laughed.
“I don’t think the gym can get me an extra six inches of height, thanks,” Rey said flatly. “Besides, if you want me to fall in love, as you all seem to, wouldn’t you want me to keep baking so I keep winning?”
“But I thought Hux was Star Baker this week,” Poe interjected as he set Rey’s bag down outside her door.
She rolled her eyes. “Not what I meant.”
He chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. “Just gotta give you hell before you fill me with desserts. You realize you’re basically making us all undateable, fattening us up with all these treats,” Poe said.
“You’d all still be dateable if you were two or three times your weight, so shut up,” Rey pointed out stubbornly. “Your weight doesn’t determine that.”
“Boom,” Poe said, his hand on his heart. “You got me there.”
“It’s just a fact,” Rey shrugged. “And the next fact you need to know is that I’ve got approximately an entire bag of flour on me in various crevices because bread week is hell, so I’m taking a shower, and then I’m finding recipes to torture you with this week.”
“That’s fair,” Poe nodded, watching as Rey retreated into her flat.
Out in the hallway, he looked to Rose and Finn and said simply, “She’s totally into that Hux guy.”
“Oh, definitely,” Rose agreed, scoffing at the idea that anyone could have misinterpreted that.
Blankly, Finn looked between the two of them. “But she just said she’s not.”
Across the hall from Rose and Rey’s flat, Poe unlocked their own and shoved Finn inside, ready to tell him a thing or two about Rey, and dating, and all the sneaky ways women can say one thing but mean another.
——
Week Four
She was not going to cry on the telly. She was not going to cry on the telly.
Rey refused to cry on the telly.
But her desserts had been a disaster — the Signature and the Technical both — and she was fairly certain that what she had planned for the Showstopper was not enough to save her.
She was going home that weekend. She was sure she wouldn’t be returning. This would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Burnt caramel paired with mousse that didn’t set put her solidly in last place, she was sure of it.
As the group left the tent to go back to the manor for the night, Rey bit her tongue hard, willing the tears gathering in her eyes not to fall. A few of the contestants had given her hugs after the second brutal judging in a row, but it wasn’t enough. Not even a hug from Rey’s idol Phasma could put her in good spirits.
After filming, everyone would flock to the dining room of the manor to eat dinner together. Rey didn’t feel like it, though, and opted instead to go directly to her room. She felt all eyes on her as she ascended the stairs but didn’t look back.
What she needed was a phone call to Finn and a nice, long shower. And to cry far away from the cameras. It was mortifying enough that she’d let her lip shake and had to blink away tears as she did her interview after the Technical challenge.
Her shower was relaxing, and she took comfort in crying as the water tumbled down her face, making her feel less like a crybaby. It wasn’t a big deal. Sometimes disasters happened. She wasn’t the only one with bad bakes, she was just… in the bottom two for both challenges so far. No big deal.
But it hurt. Rey liked to win. She was desperate to win.
Alone in her room, eyes sore from crying and hair wet from the shower, Rey settled in on her bed. Just as she pulled out her phone, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Curiously, Rey stood from her bed to see who it was.
It was shocking to Rey to find Hux standing outside her door.
Confused, she blurted out, “Hi.”
He held up a plate and said, “You skipped dinner.”
“I… yeah, I did,” Rey nodded. “I’m fine, though. You didn’t —”
“Just take it.”
Hux offered her the plate; Rey couldn’t resist as the smell of shepherds pie wafted right at her, tempting her. Slowly, she reached up to take the it from him. “Thanks,” she said finally.
Their hands brushed, and Rey was sure Hux could feel just how cold she was. She was grateful now, for the warm food, to try to quell the chill she felt. “Why did you do this?” she asked, stepping back into her room.
By continuing the conversation, she was inviting him in without saying as much. Thankfully, he picked up on that, and followed her inside. “Can’t have you passing out tomorrow during the Showstopper,” he said simply.
Rey snorted, clearly disbelieving that he was being honest. This was a competition, and it wouldn’t be unheard of if he’d wanted her to be sent home by any means possible. It was about time the Bake-Off had a villainous contestant.
“Alright, fine,” Hux conceded. “To be quite honest, I don’t think your technical deserved to be in the bottom two. There were at least two others whose were worse and deserved to be ranked below yours.”
She sighed. “It doesn’t matter if I should have placed higher, though. I didn’t. And that’s all that will matter tomorrow when they’re making their decision,” Rey argued. “I just need to start accepting that tomorrow I’ll be sent home.” She stuffed a rather large forkful of food into her mouth, effectively eating her feelings.
“Don’t be melodramatic,” Hux scoffed. “You can still come back from this. I’ve seen bigger comebacks on past seasons.”
Curiously, mid-chew, Rey paused. “What?” she asked with a mouth full of potatoes.
“You heard me,” Hux replied. “And you eat like an animal. Swallow your food before speaking.”
Rey swallowed her food and smirked. “Yes, daddy.”
“Ugh,” Hux visibly cringed. “I am into a lot of things, but that is not one of them.”
Her sadness forgotten completely, Rey burst into laughter, suddenly grateful for Hux’s presence. Even a week ago, she would have said he was far too insufferable to spend even five minutes with. But now, here in her room? Rey actually enjoyed his company — especially as he let the traces of a smile show upon his face.
“Why don’t you show this side of you on the telly?” Rey asked curiously.
“They already had a perky red-headed man on the show, a few seasons ago,” Hux explained. “And really, I’m not perky, so why pretend?”
Rey studied him curiously. “What are you like, then?”
Hux shrugged, the neutral expression back on his face. “Like this, I suppose.”
She stuffed another bite of food in her mouth, letting the silence settle in the room for a moment. As she chewed, she noticed that Hux had checked his watch and took a step closer to the door.
“Sorry if I’m keeping you.”
Hux glanced to the door. “You’re not,” he responded. “If anything, I’ve overstayed my welcome.”
The corner of Rey’s mouth turned up in a smile. “If you do, I’ll let you know,” Rey said simply. “You can stay, if you want.”
She kicked her foot out towards the chair across the table from her. Hux crossed the room to sit across from her, watching as Rey shoveled more food into her mouth. There was nothing graceful about her when she ate, which seemed to suit her from what he’d noticed in the tent, as well. She was messy, a bit clumsy; she’d clearly had no formal training with baking. He’d even heard her confess to the cameras that she knew what she had to do for certain bakes, but not the science behind it.
Unlike he, who had read endless books on the art of cooking, on forming gluten structures, on getting cakes to rise without bicarbonate of soda… all the little intricacies that they’d be expected to understand in order to succeed on the show.
And yet he’d consider Rey one of his top competitors in the tent. She consistently pushed him to do better, because she could wing it and be as successful as he was after careful planning.
“So, Hux, tell me more about you,” Rey prompted, her mouth full of food again. Hux was fairly certain that was a habit she would never break.
Hux shrugged, crossing one leg over the other. He still wore his clothes from earlier in the day; there was a small scuff of flour on the collar of his forest green polo shirt. It made him look a little more like the rest of them. Usually he came off as infallible, stronger than everyone else.
“Not much to say, I suppose,” he replied. “I live in London, work in finance, bake in my free time.”
Rey chuckled. “That’s it?”
“That’s really it.”
She tried to keep her tone casual as she prompted, “What about your home life? Are you married?”
Hux looked amused as he shook his head. “No, I’m single.”
“Not for lack of trying…?”
“Subtle, Rey. Very subtle.”
Her cheeks turned pink and she stuffed another forkful of shepherd’s pie in her mouth. “It’s a valid question,” she responded, pointedly speaking with food in her mouth, just to bug him.
“I’m single, though I don’t actively seek out a partner because nobody has time for that these days,” he said simply. “And the ones who do, I don’t get along with.”
Rey smiled at him, watching as he actually opened up to her. She hadn’t actually expected the honesty he was affording her.
“I do have a pet, though. A cat. Her name is Millicent.”
“Cute,” Rey said, smile growing.
“And you?” Hux responded, spinning the conversation on its ear.
Rey shoveled another bite of food into her mouth, and actually waited until she’d swallowed it before saying, “I’m all alone.”
And oh, he had no idea just how alone she really was. No family left alive, no siblings. But she did have her friends, and she cared deeply for them, but it wasn’t the same, and it wasn’t what he was asking.
“I see,” Hux replied, the corner of his mouth quirking up ever so slightly.
Somewhere in the midst of their conversation, she’d forgotten all about the competition. She wasn’t dwelling upon how well she had to do the next day, or trying to revise her recipe to up her game. She was just focusing on the conversation, and on the delicious plate of food she’d missed out on if it wasn’t for Hux, and she was suddenly quite grateful for him — a complete reversal of her feelings towards him the week before.
“Thank you for bringing me dinner,” she said earnestly. “I would have been miserable if you hadn’t brought me some.”
“I know,” Hux agreed. “If I’m going to beat you, I would like it to be fairly, not because of a silly reason like you foregoing dinner to have a cry in the shower.”
Defensively, Rey argued, “I don’t think that’s a silly reason.”
“It is,” he nodded. “You had a bad day — who cares? I brought it back after I completely botched bread week.”
“You were so rough with your dough.”
“I was nervous.”
Of all the reasons he could have given, that was the least likely in Rey’s mind. “Well, then you understand how I feel going into tomorrow,” she responded.
She tipped the plate, scraping up the last few pieces of food left, making sure not a morsel was left behind. When she was finished, Rey set the plate aside and looked up at Hux, who was watching her curiously. “You’re going to be fine,” he said finally. “Don’t let today’s judging get in your head.”
“Easier said than done,” Rey responded.
“Well…” he trailed off. Rey raised an eyebrow; she wondered if he’d have some sage wisdom to pass along, or if he’d want to stay. What would he say? She released a breath and as almost disappointed when he said, “Get a good night’s rest and crack on tomorrow.”
“I will,” she nodded, looking earnest. God she wanted him to stay — to talk, to keep her mind off of things. But it wouldn’t be right, and it wasn’t why they were there. “You should, too. I’d like to beat you fair and square.”
Hux smirked. “That’s the spirit.”
——
The next day, as they were waiting to hear who’d be crowned Star Baker and who would not be returning to the tent the following week, Rey and Hux were seated next to each other. It was coincidence, of course — the producers wanted everyone spread out just so, for reasons Rey didn’t care enough to try to understand — but she was grateful for it.
Her signature bake had been… okay. She’d done alright. She’d tried her hardest to come back from behind during desserts week. And now, sitting side by side as the cameras lined up and the lights were aimed at them, Rey felt a comfort in the way his shoulder pressed to hers.
When she adjusted herself on the stool, her knee bumped his, and he glanced over for just long enough to see that her hands were trembling.
What she’d baked that day in the tent may not be enough to secure her place in the competition the following week. Rey knew it, and she was sure everyone else did, too.
Just as many competitors had done for each other in the past, Hux reached over to take her hand. Rey’s hand was clammy, and it was trembling, and her fear was so evident to everyone in the room. She looked over as his hand touched hers, warm and comforting. He must feel like he was safe. He was — his three tiered cheesecake tower had set beautifully, and all the flavors had been on point, and he hadn’t burned the crust… everything Rey’s hadn’t done.
Her eyes locked on his and though his expression remained neutral, a wave of relief washed over her at the thought of him caring enough about her to try to comfort her. He’d never performed poorly enough to be in the same position as her — so far, at least — but the fact that he could empathize made Rey feel much better. She wouldn’t fully be at peace until they filmed this last part, but it was progress. Something.
Finally, the cameras were switched on, and Rey wondered if Hux would retract his hand and leave Rey to deal with the anxiety on her own as the cameras rolled. But he didn’t. He stayed supportive, though they both faced forward, their best, bravest expressions on.
“And this week, I have the more onerous task of telling everyone who will not be joining us in the tent next week,” said the brunette host, gazing at the nine remaining bakers in the tent. “Very sadly, we will all have to say goodbye to…”
Rey squeezed Hux’s hand as she bit her tongue, trying to stop her lower lip from trembling. She looked down, sure that it would be her. He squeezed back, thumb rubbing the back of her hand, and Rey knew it. This was it.
One syllable. Easy to say. Easy to forget. Just say it, she willed the host.
“Mitaka.”
Rey didn’t move. Her eyes went wide, and she stared down at her lap. Had she misheard? Sure, Mitaka had performed poorly but… Rey had bombed dessert week. She’d done absolutely terribly. This had to be a mistake.
When she looked up, the group was already stepping forward to hug Mitaka, to bid him farewell. It felt surreal; Rey was in total and utter disbelief. “I told you you’d make it,” Hux said to her, the faint traces of a kind smile upon his face.
She turned to him, still rendered speechless by the judges’ decision. “I —”
As soon as Mitaka was within her sights, Rey wrapped him up into a hug. She didn’t know what she could possibly say to him. Should she apologize? It should have been her. She was sure it would be her. And yet, it wasn’t.
In the flurry of hugs and congratulations (the tall, brooding man named Ben had won Star Baker that week), Rey found herself standing face to face with Paul Hollywood, and he looked amused as he took in Rey’s shock. “You’ve got to step up your game next week,” he warned her.
She nodded, still taken aback by the results of the weekend. “I will,” she promised.
“I know you will,” he replied, patting her on the shoulder before turning back towards Ben, to speak to him about his successful weekend.
That evening on the train back to Reading station, Hux sat directly across from Rey, rather than across the aisle. They didn’t speak; it was clear they’d come to a mutual understanding that the ride back was meant for music and meditation. But knowing he was there was a comfort for Rey after such an emotional weekend.
When the train arrived in Reading, he bid her a nod farewell before heading towards his platform, to take him to Paddington Station, while Rey walked in the opposite direction to board her own train back to Wolverhampton.