Formula Oneshots by DonaIDK

Marcus A. & Callum I. - Prema Cooking Challenge

" Lasagna. " Callum spoke up, his voice showing it was more like a question than a statement. They had to wait a second, but when Marcus replied with the word 'Pizza', it was time for the reveal.

" And that's exactly what you're making. It's gonna be a delicious lasagna... or just a simple lasagna. Let's stay with that. " She let out a chuckle, motioning for some of the guys behind her, to get Callum's prize from the fridge. " For guessing right you get the dough for the pasta that one of the chefs from Prema's kitchen put together. A bit of help. " She added while Callum took the dough that was placed in front of him and looked a lot better than what he would have made probably.

" That's not fair. Shouldn't the less experienced one get the help? " Marcus asked, offended at the idea, that Callum already did better than him. " And that's not me saying I'm worse than you. Just less experienced. " He pointed a finger at his friend even before he could open his mouth to say anything. He would never accept being the worst from the two of them without a fight.

His whines were dismissed, with one of the guys putting their time on the clock and starting it after once more counting down for them. Both started off immediately, Callum with the sauce and Marcus with the dough. While they were only 'racing' each other now, they knew in the end their results would compete against everyone who takes part in the challenge today. It wasn't all about winning, but if you already had to try you usually wanted to at least get up to a podium spot, didn't you? It was even harder when all your friends who took part were competitive racing drivers and knew exactly what they wanted. Maybe cooking wasn't their profession but if they tried hard enough they could do enough to not starve. Maybe a lasagne wasn't the thing that will beat them.

" Whoever wins is the one buying lunch. " Marcus spoke up as soon as he saw how far behind he was, thanks to the help his friend got at the start. He was still getting the dough together, with it sticking everywhere onto the counter, while Callum was almost finished with the meat for his sauce. " And the loser decides where they're eating. " He added, although almost took it back, remembering that it was still the start and he had a chance to be better than the other one.

" Deal! " Callum nodded before Marcus could have said anything else. That was a big enough of a price for the winner to pay just because they were better or luckier. Even if Marcus would have made it worse with his next few words, he couldn't have known which one of them would win.

Their time was slowly ticking down, leaving less and less chances for them to keep everything clean while making everything that was needed. When Callum was already filling up his casserole with the pasta, sauce and mozzarella on top, Marcus was still stirring his sauce and adding the last few spices to it. They still had time and as the baking itself wasn't included he felt like it would be easy to finish everything. Neither of them seemed sure about what they were doing, but it was probably mostly because of the lack of recipe and instructions, not getting immediate feedback for their actions.

While Marcus was waiting for the sauce to finally boil he watched as the brit was precisely positioning every sheet of pasta to make it look perfect. Taking a chance while his 'enemy' wasn't looking he took his plate full of cheese and just quickly put it under a kitchen cloth he had laying around. In his head he gave about a minute for Callum to notice the missing bowl from his station and he was right as a bit later he could see him looking around for it. Mumbling something under his breath, Callum soon realised where it went but still had to almost fight Marcus for it, getting both of them soaked by the little bit of water that was under the cheese. After all he had his cheese back and even sacrificed a slice to throw it at Marcus, hitting him on the shoulder and neck, before using the remaining amount to cover his pasta.

" You're doing quite good. " Callum came up to Marcus when he was already finished and had some time to poke at his friend and break his concentration. What the other one didn't know is how the hand patting his back was in the bag of flour just seconds prior. He even let a smile get on his face before the strange feeling registered in his mind and he immediately turned his head trying to look at his back.

" Mate, what did I do to you? " Marcus asked, squinting his eyes at him and getting a bit of the tomato sauce on his fingers and just seconds later chucking it towards Callum, who tried dodging the attack the best he could. It still hit him but at least only his white apron and not other parts. " You're lucky. " He rolled his eyes, while Callum rather stayed away from him so he couldn't mess with him again. There was too much expensive equipment in the room to start a foodfight.

" Okay, half a minute remaining. " The organizer spoke up, making Marcus act at two times the normal speed, pouring the last bits of sauce onto the pasta and then getting the cheese on the top. " Thre, two, one. Hands up 'chefs'. " The timers went off and both of them stepped back from their station. The dishes were taken away to the ovens, so they were done in time for the inspection.

" Guess I'm getting free lunch at least. " Marcus sighed, washing his hands but when he turned around he could only see Callum's face pale. Looking at where his eyes were stuck he knew exactly why he looked so sickly. " Or maybe not... " He let out a laugh, bumping their shoulders and taking a piece of meat that was left out of Callum's sauce and waiting in a container on the side until now.

" I just lost... " He sighed, staring at his probable only mistake, that cost him the whole challenge against someone he could have beaten easily. " You know what? I'm ordering the most expensive thing off the menu. " He stated, turning to Marcus as it was now his friend's turn to pale a little, but straightening up he took the thought as a champ.

" I would say I don't deserve that... but it was me bringing up the deal, so I can't say anything. " Marcus shrugged a little, starting to clean up his station, to help a little while their creations were baking. They were free until the inspections were over and it was time for the announcement of the results.

" How could I leave the meat out? That's the main ingredient in the whole sauce. " Callum was close to fuming as he took his coffee from under the machine, sitting down on the sofa across Marcus. Maybe caffeine wasn't what he needed, but in a way it always calmed him down before giving him any energy. " I just handed you the victory between the two of us. " He shook his head, taking a sip of his drink rather.

" Let's hope I at least will use the chance and win it all then. " Marcus shrugged a little, holding his own cup while all the others were sitting around them on random chairs or sofa spots. He really didn't know if he even had a chance or not, but remained positive about it all until the end.

An hour later Marcus had the third place tiny trophy in his hands and they were in an Uber on their way to a asian restaurant, that was their favourite while living here. Callum did get an honorary ribbon for 'Worst mistake made', but he did not wear it as proudly as Marcus held his trophy during the whole car ride. There were a few others with them, and in the end Marcus did pay for Callum's lunch, although he didn't order anything too special, sparing the kiwi's wallet. There will probably be another occasion where he's gonna be in Marcus' shoes and will be paid back for this one time. He was the best on the track anyways, no?