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Gaty had spent most of her days helping the chefs keep the kitchen running, while Two had been occupied with hosting the show. Even so, whenever extra time allowed, Two would stop by the kitchen to lend a hand, making the most of the little time they could spend together. However, today seems unusual—like the kind of unusual where she suddenly has a day off from the chefs.
Earlier that morning, Gaty had overheard Four telling X that the two of them would be leaving for a “Kitchen Bond Retreat.” Apparently, it was something they had planned together, and Gaty wasn’t expected to come along. She didn’t mind all that much—if anything, it meant she could finally enjoy a quiet day to herself.
As luck would have it, Two arrived not long after Four and X had left. They both sat on their usual pink couch tucked in the corner of Four and X’s kitchen. It had been a while since they’d had the chance to simply sit and talk. Two had also just finished announcing the list of eliminated teams for the next Cake at Stake.
“Death PACT Yet Again and CloudYay are up for elimination?"
"That’s unfortunate…"
"It kinda feels like they’ve been up for elimination all the time lately.”
Two looked off into the distance with a quiet sigh. Gaty wasn’t wrong—they had noticed the pattern too.
“So, well—anyway, why exactly are you here?”
“Nothing of the sorts."
“I just thought I’d make something I really like—cheesecake!"
"Then I go hand slices out at the next Cake at Stake.”
Considering that the contestants had been up for elimination, Two came up with the brilliant idea of lifting everyone’s spirits by baking their special cheesecake from scratch.
“Oh, that’s actually really considerate of you.”
Gaty couldn’t help but notice how considerate Two had become, I mean they already were. Although back then, they had seemed almost uncanny—especially after taking away most of Four’s contestants. There was something strangely unsettling about them, something that made them difficult to read. But after spending time talking with them in between challenges, that impression had slowly faded.
“Does Four and X know you’re here?”
It wasn’t that she doubted them—she was simply wondering whether Four and X were aware of their little baking plan.
“Nope!”
“But I know my signature cheesecake by heart."
"I’ll be done before they get back.”
Gaty glanced toward the kitchen counters before looking back at Two.
“If you’d like, I can help."
"It’d make everything go a lot faster.”
Two’s eyes sparkled.
“Woah, really? You’d help me? You’re willing to do this with me?”
In a burst of excitement, they took both of Gaty’s hands into their own, clasping them lightly. Their grin stretched impossibly wide, so genuine and contagious that it was hard not to smile back.
“Yeah..”
“I mean, I don’t really have anything else planned today."
"Besides… we haven’t gotten to talk much lately."
"It’d be nice to make something together for the others.”
“Alrighty then!”
Two sprang to their feet, their excitement returning in full force as they made their way toward the kitchen counter. Gaty followed close behind, watching with quiet curiosity.
With a confident snap of their fingers, bowls, utensils, and every ingredient they would need; eggs, flour, milk, butter, sugar—ingredients continued appearing one after another until the countertop was nearly covered. Gaty blinked at the impressive spread.
“That’s… a lot of ingredients.”
Two scratched the back of their head.
“I suppose you’re right…”
Their gaze wandered across the crowded counter before suddenly lighting up with an idea. They snapped their fingers again, and in a small puff of neon green, nearly everything vanished, replaced by a single box.
“We can just use a cake mix instead!”
“Makes things way easier.”
Two grinned, holding it up proudly. Two opened the cake mix, only for a small puff of powder to burst straight into their face.
“Phaw! Pffth! Ahck!"
"it already tastes like cake!—”
Gaty snickered at the sight before making her way to another counter where the aprons were neatly hung. They were technically labeled as Four’s and X’s, but surely they wouldn’t mind, right? Besides, it was only to make sure they stayed tidy while baking.
“Here."
“Just to make sure we don’t make a mess of ourselves.”
“Oh, thanks! I’ll make sure to uh.. clean these after we’re done, just to… you know—avoid suspicion from Four and X.”
Four probably wouldn’t even care if the aprons got dirty—they’d already been stained with flour, batter, and all sorts of baking ingredients anyway. As for X, he likely wouldn’t suspect a thing.
After putting on the apron, Two grabbed the carton of milk and poured it into the bowl with the cake mix. They then looked around for the eggs, only to realize they were sitting right beside Gaty.
“Could you crack the eggs while I grab the mixer?”
“Oh, sure thing.”
Gaty rolled up her sleeves and reached for a few eggs. She tapped one against the rim of the bowl and carefully pulled it apart, but as expected, the tremor in her hands made the task more difficult. Tiny pieces of eggshell slipped into the batter.
“Whoops… uh…”
She fished out the shell fragments with her fingertips, only to accidentally drop a few more in when she cracked the next egg. Gaty let out an awkward laugh, already knowing this wasn’t going very well. Just then, Two returned with the mixer tucked under one arm, setting it on the counter before plugging it into a nearby outlet.
“How’s the batter coming along?”
“…I, uhhh, might need a little help.”
“Oh right—I completely forgot about your shaky hands, sorry about that.”
“You know—baking’s always a little messy, I think thats the part of what makes it fun.”
They stepped beside her and carefully fished the remaining bits of eggshell out of the batter. Gaty smiled at Two’s reassurance before glancing down at her hands, which still trembled ever so slightly. She had never been able to rely on her hands for delicate, precise tasks. While she managed most everyday activities without much trouble, anything that demanded careful, steady movements often proved difficult. Instead, she excelled with her feet, and her remarkable flexibility often gave her the edge whenever she faced a challenge, allowing her to keep up with the other contestants just as well!
Speaking of contestants… Two had gone out of their way to bake a cheesecake from scratch for them. It was oddly sweet to think about. Gaty could almost picture Two doing this every Cake at Stake.
“So…”
”you do this often for us, huh?”
“Eh, only when I feel like it."
“I only started baking after I began hosting the show."
"Besides, anything can be a prize at Cake at Stake you know?”
“It’s kind of ironic actually, you should be handing out cake, not some.. random stuff…!"
"Like those plates from that one previous Cake at Stake.”
“Hey, those were some pretty good plates!”
“Perfect for… break-at-plate."
"Heh, get it?”
“I’m starting to think I’d rather listen to Four’s screeching than your jokes.”
"You don't mean thattt!"
Once the batter was finally free of eggshells, they tossed in a few more ingredients for extra flavor before setting the bowl onto the mixer. As the machine whirred to life, Gaty’s eyes drifted over its rattling frame. The entire thing wobbled with every turn, and several screws looked like they were barely holding on.
…Wait.
Wasn’t that the very same mixer Four had broken?
Gaty was washing the dishes, quietly humming to herself. She had just finished helping X prepare the cake batter for the next Cake at Stake, which Two had requested.
“Fourr!”
X is carrying the bowl of batter as he skipped over to Four, who was standing beside the very same mixing machine.
“Look, X! Pretty nifty invention, huh?"
"It mixes the whole thing for us!”
Four proudly gesturing toward the mixer. It was covered in all sorts of colorful stickers—though, to be fair, Algebraliens seemed to decorate just about everything they owned.
“Ooh! Let’s try it out!”
The moment they flipped the switch, batter flew everywhere, splattering across the walls in an instant. Gaty remembered that day vividly.
“WAIT, TWO!”
“Wha—?”
Before Two could catch Gaty's remark, they had already flipped the switch. The mixer immediately sprang to life. The bowl spun wildly, whipping the batter into a frenzy before flinging it all over the counter in every direction.
VRRRVRVRRVRVRVRRRR!!!
“WOAH—WHA— How do you turn this thing off!?"
"Gaty!?”
“Uhh… try switching it off…?!”
“It’s literally moving on its own!"
"What do you mean, ‘try switching it off’!?"
"It’s going to mix me in as well if I do!”
“Uhh… well—”
Gaty’s eyes darted beneath the counter. Spotting the power socket, she quickly crouched down and yanked the plug from the outlet. The mixer whined to a stop, finally putting an end to the chaos.
VRRRRR..
“Two… didn’t you notice the mixer was CLEARY broken?”
“Well… uh… I got distracted by the stickers."
"I thought—”
Gaty glanced at the now-silent machine before looking back at Two. Gaty simply stared at them, saying nothing.
“…Okay, maybe I should’ve looked into it a little more.”
“So… what are we going to do with all of this mess?”
Gaty glanced along the mess that coated the counter. Two looked around for a moment, then they raised a hand and snapped their fingers. In an instant, the batter was neatly mixed inside the bowl once again, and with another flick of their hand, the bowl floated into the oven as it began to bake.
“Huh.”
“I almost forgot you have it easy with those powers of yours.”
They both settled down on the floor in front of the oven, quietly watching through the glass as the cake slowly began to rise in a few minutes.
“My powers?”
“Eh, it’s not all that special to me really."
”I’ll be giving them to someone else eventually.”
Gaty never really understood how Two had ended up with THAT much power. Someone as capable as them should have been content with what they already had. Besides, who would hand out such an immense amount of power without a second thought—let alone turn it into the prize of a competition?
“Don’t you want to keep at least some of it?”
“…Maybe a little?”
“I don’t really know."
"I never planned on keeping most of it anyway, I’m perfectly fine without powers—I don’t really have much use for them."
It wasn’t as though Two had been entrusted with immense power by accident. They had it because they were someone who could be trusted not to misuse it. Anyone else might have let that kind of power consume them, but Two never did. If anything, they hardly seemed interested in it.
They had long since learned to keep their emotions from affecting their abilities, carrying that burden quietly as they searched from place to place for somewhere to belong. It had taken years before they finally found people they could call a community.
And if finding that meant giving away nearly all of their power… then so be it, they never really needed it in the first place.
"I’ve spent years wandering around on my own, and… I was tired of being alone.”
"The competition was mostly an excuse to finally build a community, ..where I can call home."
“…I."
"I.. didn’t know that.”
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. Gaty reached over and gently rested a hand on Two’s.
“Thanks for telling me."
“I’m really glad you trusted me enough to share that.”
Two looked down at their joined hands before meeting Gaty’s eyes again. A small, genuine smile spread across their face.
“…Thank you, as well.”
ring-aling-aling-ring-DING!!!!
Both of their heads immediately turned toward the oven.
"It’s done!”
“I’ll go get it!”
Two quickly stood, slipping on a pair of oven mitts before carefully opening the oven door. A wave of warm, sweet air drifted through the room as they pulled the golden sponge cake onto the stovetop to cool. Meanwhile, Gaty made her way over to the counter.
“I’ll get the cream cheese filling ready while that cools.”
She set a mixing bowl down and gathered everything they needed—a block of softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla extract, a bit of heavy cream, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. After measuring everything in, she whisked the mixture together until it became smooth, silky, and light.
By the time Two carried the cooled cake over, the filling was nearly finished. Gaty gave it one last stir before scooping a small spoonful to taste. She nodded in approval, then handed the piping bag over to Two. They confidently spooned the cream into the bag before gripping it with both hands.
“Okay!"
"Finally, now it's time for the fun part!”
Instead of neatly piping into the cake, the cream burst backward, oozing between Two’s fingers before flopping onto the counter with a thick splat. Both stared at the mess before them, then Gaty couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“I guess it’s your turn to make a mess, huh?”
Before Two could respond, Gaty scooped up a dab of cream with a finger and gently smeared it across Two’s cheek.
“Hehe—”
They slowly turned toward Gaty with an exaggerated look of disbelief.
“Oh, you!”
Just as Gaty tried to dart away, Two caught their wrist.
“Too late!”
“But I already got you—”
“So? doesn't mean I can't do the same to you!”
With their free hand, Two scooped up an even bigger dollop of cream and dabbed it right across Gaty’s nose.
“Hey!!”
“That doesn’t make us even!"
"Ugh, Two! you—”
“What'd you gonna so about it huhh?”
They ducked behind counters, laughing as they tried to dodge one another’s cream-covered fingers. Every successful escape only encouraged another playful chase. A streak landed on Gaty’s cheek. Another found its way into Two’s hair. Before long, both of them were dusted with cream from head to toe, barely able to stand from laughing so hard. Eventually, the two collapsed onto the kitchen floor, breathing between fits of giggles.
“…Okay..”
“…Maybe we got a little carried away.”
“A little?”
“Look at us.”
The counter was covered in smears of cream, the piping bag had somehow been squeezed nearly empty, and even the refrigerator door had ended up with a stray splatter—neither of them had the slightest idea how it got there.
Two snapped their fingers. In an instant, every smear disappeared. The counters sparkled clean, and the cheesecake was suddenly decorated with perfectly smooth swirls of cream as if an expert pastry chef had finished it.
Two is smiling with how great the cheesecake turned out to be, though their eyes lingered on the finished cheesecake.
“…There’s still something missing.”
“Hm?”
"Like what?”
“I don’t know…”
“It just looks a little plain, uhh—maybe some sprinkles…?”
Gaty opened the refrigerator, looking around for anything they could use. Two spotted a hue of red inside the refrigerator, It was strawberries!
“Strawberries! Gaty, let’s put those on top!"
"It’ll give it some flair, you know?”
Gaty looked over at the beaming smile on Two’s face. Now that she thinks about it, it’s quite funny. When she first met Two, they seem almost impossible to understand—someone so overwhelmingly powerful that they felt distant, almost impossible to have a decent conversation. But the more time Gaty spent with them, the more those impossible edges faded away.
Beneath all that power was simply someone who laughed too hard at small jokes, got overly excited decorating desserts, and treasured every moment they shared with another person. Whatever reason had brought them together in the first place no longer mattered.
Gaty was simply glad they’d met.
A small, fond smile tugged at her lips.
“…Whatever you say, Two.”