May 11 2025

The counter wad filled with ingredients, duck breast, blood oranges, heirloom carrots, and spices from every corner, Today, the group gathered, and Steve wanted to try a new recipe called Duck à l'Orange.

He stood by the center while Anne, Alex, Sydney, Caleb, Lois, Benjamin and Anna were sitting like this was a business meeting as Miller cleared his throat.

Steve: Alright, culinary legends. Tonight's challenge, Duck à l'Orange, modern twist, Michelin plating. You've got one kitchen, zero ego, and about ninety minutes before I judge you all harshly.

Alex: Oh, we're doing throwdowns now? Good. I was getting bored being humble.

Anne: *Grins* I love it when he gets bossy and serious.

Lois: *Giggles* Should we be taking notes or just sit here?

Sydney: Speak for yourself. I'm here to heckle and steal food!

Alex: *Laughs* You two can heckle all you want. Just stay away from the duck.

Caleb: *Raises his hand* I volunteer to flambé something.

Steve: *Sighs* Caleb, you always volunteer to flambé something. It's concerning.

They shared a laugh as Anne, Caleb, Alex got up, already prepared with their apron. Benjamin, Anna, Sydney and Lois were eating chocolate as McFarland said something.

Benjamin: This is why I stick to pastry. No yelling, no raw poultry, just vibes and sugar.

Anna: And we don't leave smelling like duck fat.

Alex: Lucky, I'm already hating this smell.

Steve: *Laughs* Alright, Alright, Anne, you're leading the duck. Caleb, start the reduction. Alex, you're on garnish. Sydney, Lois you two keep the plating sharp.

Anne: And what about you, boss?

Steve: *Grins* I'll supervise... and steal credit.

Just as everyone got into position and the sound of knives hitting cutting boards, Suddenly they heard a doorbell which confused them, They weren't expecting anyone.

Anna: *Gasps* Did the duck's family showed up?

Benjamin: I didn't do anything to that duck, I swear.

Sydney: *Laughs* Relax, Let me check the door.

Sydney walked to the front foot and opened it to see. . . Maria and this time, She brought someone with her.

Sydney: *Smiles* Maria!

Maria: *Smiles* Hi, I heard you guys were cooking something special today.

Anthony: *Smiles* Hi.

Sydney began staring at Anthony before noticing that both of them were holding hands, She kept staring at them until her eyes were widen.

Sydney: OH MY GOD, GUYS, MARIA BROUGHT HER BOYFRIEND OVER!!!!

Maria: *Eyes widen and blushes* Sydney!!!

Anthony's eyes were widen and flinched back, surprised by that sudden scream before he couldn't help but laugh a little.

Everyone: WHAT!?

Benjamin: Wait, It's her silver fox, Right!?

Maria facepalmed and covered her face as Anthony couldn't stop laughing before both of them entered the house, The chefs walked out of the kitchen to see the new couple as Anthony greeted everyone.

Caleb: Ahh so you two finally confessed, Been waiting for this day!

Maria: *Blushes* Can we not make this dramatic?

Alex: *Laughs* Now this is now the second most important event of the evening.

Anne: Yeah, Duck à l'Orange just got replaced by Daddy à la Silver!

Maria's eyes were widen in shock as everyone burst into laughter while Anthony covered his face, laughing. Enjoying this funny banter before Maria walked and lightly smacked her shoulder.

Maria: Have some shame, Would you!?

Anne: *Laughs* Couldn't help it!

Anna: Okay, okay! Leave that aside, When did you two become official?

Anthony: It happened yesterday. she finally gave in to my. . . irresistible charm.

Everyone's eyes lit up as Anthony pulled Maria close to him who was blushing and trying to look away.

Maria: Oh my god, Stop it!

Anthony: Says the woman who kissed me first.

Caleb: Ohhh, she made the first move! Bold!

Lois: We're so proud of you, Maria.

Maria: Urgh, Thanks. I guess. . .

Steve: *Laughs* Alright lovebirds, grab a drink and a seat, We're making duck, not ducking romance.

Maria: Can I help you guys?

Benjamin: I'm pretty sure they have it under covered, Someone's gotta keep an eye on Anne and Steve though.

Anne/Steve: Hey!

Anthony: *Raises an eyebrow* Why exactly?

Maria: Uhhh. . .

Sydney: You don't wanna know.

Anna: We've seen things.

Steve and Anne just raised eyebrows while Anthony just shrugged, still confused by what they meant. That's when Maria followed the chefs back to the kitchen while Anthony was looking around before Benjamin told him to sit down.

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Steve: Alright, let's do a quick roll call of what everyone's cooking so we can pretend this is a Michelin kitchen.

Anne: *Holding a duck breast* I'm massaging this beautiful duck like it's my paycheck. Orange glaze coming in hot.

Alex: *Tossing herbs in the air*
I'm on crispy herb garnish. Gonna make it rain thyme like it's payday.

Caleb: *Waving a ladle like a sword* Reduction master here. This sauce is gonna be smoother than Steve's flirting. Which isn't hard.

Steve: *Stares* Blocked

Maria: *Holding carrot awkwardly* I'm emotionally supporting this heirloom carrot.

Benjamin: Great job, everyone. Now with the remaining oranges, We could make dessert out of that.

Anna: Dark chocolate orange mousse, We could make it fancy.

Sydney/Lois: We're just bored.

Anthony: *Holding lemon* I've been handed this lemon. I assume I squeeze it and look handsome?

Steve: *Laughs* That's literally perfect. Keep doing that."

Anne: Careful, if you do, We'll hand you a whisk next time.

Anthony: I think I'm confident with my whisking skills. . . Maybe.

They shared a laugh together, Everyone was already enjoying this, And they were really excited for the new dish that they're trying out, They hoped this would end up being good.

Later on, The kitchen was alive with energy steam rising, pans sizzling, herbs flying, The duck breasts were already seared and resting as everyone was busy in their tasks.

Steve: Caleb! Where's the reduction!?

Caleb: I think I accidentally poured in. . . Um. . . cinnamon?

Steve: What?. . .WHY!?

Everyone: *Gasps*

Caleb: *Shrugs* It smelled festive.

Anne: *Laughs* If this turns into Duck à la Christmas, I'm blaming you.

Maria: That duck looks so good, I'd marry it.

Anthony: I'm honestly worried it's getting more attention than me.

Anna: *Watching Alex torch the garnish* Woah, woah, why does the orange peel look like it's on fire?

Alex: *Smiles* Because it is. . . Caramelized, Flambéed and. . . Sexy.

Benjamin: Save some of that sexy for the plate, Chef Pyromaniac!

Steve: *Laughs* Oh my god, What are we even doing? Focus!

Sydney: *Laughs* You say "Focus" and then you're the one goofing around with us!

Anthony: *Laughs* After seeing you guys, I think i wanna be a chef now.

Anne: It looks fun but believe me, It's chaotic. But that's also the reason I joined.

They shared a laugh and the chefs continued cooking, A few minutes has passed and there was yelling, laughter and other funny banters, At one point, The chefs almost forgot an ingredient or they almost spilled something by accident.

Later on, The Duck à l'Orange was almost prepared as Anne was looking around, The others were busy in their own tasks as Anne was cleaning the counter before she noticed Steve, sitting on the chair while watching her.

Anne: *Laughs* What are you looking at, Steve?

Steve: Two beautiful views, You and The Duck.

Anne: *Giggles* Well, one of those is getting glazed and roasted. . . the other one just thinks you're cute and hot

Steve: *Grins* Guilty. But you're the one setting the kitchen on fire.

He got up and walked towards Anne, placing both of his hands on her hips as Winters giggled again.

Steve: I think i wanna bend you over again.

Anne: *Laughs* Right in front of everyone!?

Steve: *Grins* Let them watch.

He kissed her cheek as Anne continued laughing, He wrapped his arms around her waist as both of them were looking at the duck that was getting roasted.

Steve: We're doing really well on this.

Anne: I'm confident it's gonna be good.

Steve: All thanks to you and the others, I really wanted to make this work.

Anne: *Smiles* Me too, Me too.

He turned her around as Anne felt her heart skip a beat, His eyes softened and continued staring at her before smiling again.

Anne: You know if you keep looking at me like that, I'm gonna forget we're supposed to be cooking.

Steve: Maybe I want you to forget. . . just for a second.

Anne stared at him, her teasing smile faded into something softer as Steve chuckled while playing with her hair.

Steve: Not that I'm saying we should let the duck burn. . . Just, you know, if it accidentally did, I wouldn't regret this moment

Anne blushed a little and gently nudged him which made him chuckle again, But for a moment. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, He wrapped his arm around her as both of them were silent for a moment.

Anne: Yeah, I might just let the chicken burn.

Steve: When did the duck turn into a chicken?

Anne: *Facepalms and laughs* You weren't kidding when you said you'll make me forget.

Both of them shared a quiet laugh as Anne took his arm, swinging a little before both of them shared a little kiss.

Everyone noticed them and they had a smile on their face, They always wondered if Anne was ever gonna tell him about her true feelings, Maybe Steve wouldn't admit it but. . . .

He might be falling for her as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The duck à l'Orange was finally prepared and the group already finished dinner and they really loved it, The idea was successful and now everyone was discussing about adding it to the menu, However they wanted to practice a little more into the recipe, Making sure there won't be any mistakes or such.

Benjamin: Okay, Now that we got a new dish added to the menu, It' time we add something new into the dessert menu.

Caleb: We can figure something out for you.

Anna: *Smiles* Maybe we should have everyone bake with us next time.

Alex: Baking? I won't present for this, I remember i almost burned the lemon sponge cake and You and Benji tried to kill me.

Maria: *Laughs* All because you were glued to your seat, watching a spider man movie.

Alex: Peter was in trouble, I was in trouble as well.

Everyone shared a laugh together as Sydney said something.

Sydney: Then again, That happened just once. I actually enjoyed baking.

Caleb: Yeah, Only because you wanted to throw flour at me, Specifically.

Lois: *Laughs* I remember that, And she sprayed whip cream on me too.

Anne: Okay but if we want to do this, We better bake that same delicious lemon cake.

Anna: And this time, Don't mess with Benjamin's tools.

Caleb: Agreed. You mess with Benny's tools, he becomes Gordon Ramsay's evil twin.

Steve: *Laughs* Alright, alright. Next week, team baking challenge, with rules. No distractions, no sabotage, and no movies!

Alex: *Mutters* Peter still deserved better.

Maria: *Laughs* You're not wrong, but that lemon sponge cake deserved someone.

Anthony: I can't bake, but I can supervise with a cup of coffee and judgmental commentary.

Maria: *Laughs* A cup of coffee or two cups of coffee?

Anthony: Two, Unless you bake a coffee cake.

Benjamin: Hmmm. . . That doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Anthony: Ooop, I gave him an idea. Where's my money and kiss?

Maria covered her face while everyone just laughed as Anthony grinned at her reaction.

Eventually, Everyone was drinking Pepsi while cracking jokes and were discussing about work, Maria decided to follow Anthony to the living room where he was sitting and holding the Pepsi can while looking through his phone, He noticed Marshall and immediately closed his phone, smiling.

Anthony: Sorry sweetheart, Thought everyone was having a serious discussion.

Maria: It's fine, You could have joined us regardless.

She smiled, sitting next to him as Anthony continued staring at her with a smile on his face.

Anthony: Dinner was delicious by the way. Never ate something like that to be honest.

Maria: I really loved it too, Guess that's gonna be on the menu now.

Anthony: But the best part of tonight was just. . . being next to you through all of it

Maria: *Blushes* Always a smooth talker, Tony.

Anthony: I mean, you get the charm, the wit, the gray hairs-

Maria: *Facepalms* Okay, Now you're just embracing that you're old.

Anthony: *Laughs* Ah, But you blush whenever I mention that.

Maria: *Laughs* Not anymore!

Anthony grinned and noticed she was blushing even more as he moved closer to her, She looked at him, blushing harder as he chuckled.

Anthony: Aha! There it is again!

Maria: Stop looking at me like that!

Anthony: Can't help it. You're my favourite view tonight.

She rolled her eyes before giggling as Maria rested her head on his shoulder, His smile softened and took another sip of Pepsi and kept staring at her.

Maria: You're always my favourite person.

Anthony: I'm so lucky to have you.

They both smiled again, looking at each other, The chattering in the dining room was heard but neither of them focused on it, They played with each other's hands, enjoying the moment between them.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and stay strong!!! :)