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"denmark?"

"yes! we are sending you and marcus to denmark for two weeks to stage at this really great restaurant. you're gonna learn to do three new desserts for us. carmy knows the head pastry chef. says he's really cool so it should be fun, right?" sydney explained.

"that does sound fun! i'm in!" you smile.

you looked at marcus who was deep in thought. if you had to guess what he was thinking, his mind is probably on his mom who was currently bed ridden at a hospital.

you put a hand on marcus' shoulder. "you good with that?" you ask your co pastry chef.

he broke out of his thoughts and nodded. "yeah, i-i'm great. i'd love to."

"great! cause you guys really didn't have a choice. your flights are already booked for tomorrow afternoon sooo thanks!" sydney offered two thumbs and awkward smile before she left what used to be the kitchen.

"holy shit," you whisper in shock. "staging at a michelin star restaurant in a country i've always wanted to visit. could this be any better?"

"i have to go tell my mom but give me a call if you need a ride to the airport tomorrow. chester will probably take me and we can swing by your place if you want?"

"dude, yes! that'd save me a shit ton of money that i would've spent on uber."

"cool, see you," marcus grabbed his bag and headed out the door.

after helping fak, riche and gary with fallen ceiling debris, you decided to leave a bit early to pack and clean your apartment before your travel.

it was noon on the dot the next day when marcus called to check if you were ready for the airport. since you packed the night before, you had a rather peaceful morning. chester talked your ear off the whole way there and demanded to see your passports because he wanted to make sure you and marcus actually had it on you.

"chester, can you do me a favour and check in on my ma when you get the time?" marcus asked.

"dude, i'm way ahead of you. gonna check on her every morning on my way to work,"

"i appreciate it."

chester looked at both you. "now, i want you take a deep breath and let the good in. you guys are gonna kill it."

you grin at marcus' friend. "thanks chester. okay we're gonna have to leave now before we miss our flight."

marcus says his farewell to his best friend and the two of you head to your gate.

the plane ride to copenhagen was smooth despite marcus' worries. you guys hopped on a train to explore the city before heading to where you were staying.

"trains here are way cleaner than the ones in chicago," marcus leaned over to whisper.

"waay cleaner," you agree.

the two of you exited the station and stood in awe of your view. clear blue skies. cool fresh air. colourful buildings. and the smell of hotdogs which was incredibly appealing after your long journey.

you and marcus locked eyes. "oh yeah."

marcus grabbed a hotdog with dried onions and pickles on top while you had a plain jane moment with just ketchup.

"that is the best thing i've ever put in my mouth," you say with in between bites.

"just what i needed honestly," marcus said.

after your quick meal, the two of you continued to wander the city taking in the architecture most of all.

marcus was using the maps feature on his phone to find the place you were supposed to be staying at.

"uh i don't see any apartment buildings near," you said. "are you sure we are in the right place?"

marcus had led you to a canal where boats were docked. "i am 99.9% sure. you're staying in 286 and i'm in 287."

you looked at the boat in front of you and saw the gold number plaque on the side. "well, mystery solved. this is your place and i'm guessing this one is mine." you moved further down to the boat behind marcus' one.

"sick," he smiled.

"i'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"night, y/n!"

you walked down a couple of steps before opening a door that lead to a kitchen and dining room. it was spacious and you were grateful for the many windows it had. the stairs to the left led up to the bedroom which was a lot smaller than you anticipated having only space for your bed and a small cabinet for clothes.

you flopped on your bed and let out an exhale. you didn't realize just how tired you were until you hit the soft mattress and while everything in you wanted to knock out, you knew you had to get up and unpack because you wouldn't have time tomorrow.

one thing you were not was a morning person and yes you should have gotten used to it by now working in the restaurant industry but getting up at 4 a.m. will never feel natural. regardless, you had a twinge of excitement from your new job. excited to learn under this new chef that carmy spoke so highly of.

once you had gotten yourself ready for the day, you heard three soft knocks.

"morning," i say. "you ready?"

"born ready," marcus says as you lock your door and head to the restaurant.

it was only a 15 minute walk from where you were staying so the two of you arrived with time to spare.

you walked into the bright kitchen and sucked in a breath. the kitchen was stunning with it's high end equipment, gorgeous green tiling and the young hot chef moving bags of flour from one table to another.

"chef. i'm marcus brooks and this is y/n y/l/n," marcus begins. "and we're from-"

the chef looked up for a quick second. "i know. i'm luca, pastry. we start at 5 a.m. your section's at the end of the bench."

the english accent took you by surprise. your knees could have buckled right then and there.

"yes, chef," the two of you say in unison.

now your excitement turned into nervousness. not only were you to create three star-worthy desserts for the bear, you had to learn from someone who is so extremely good looking it hurts.

marcus and you head to the back to change into your uniforms which was a basic indigo t-shirt and a green apron like luca had.

when you went back out, you immediately washed your hands and got ready for whatever luca had in store for you guys.

luca had marcus rollout croissant pastry while he led you to a table where he had prepared a dessert. your task was to place pieces of peanuts at a certain angle as part of its presentation.

you studied him as placed some on to show you how it's done. luca had small black tattoos scattered up and down his arms. you didn’t know why but you found it really attractive.

"here, you try," he says passing the tweezers to you.

your fingers brushed as you took the small tool from him. luca didn't make eye contact but you did notice his jaw clench.

"nuzzle that sliver into the pudding just to lock it in."

"yes, chef," you said.

taking one of the small nuts from the bowl, you placed it on the pudding but it slipped last second.

"no. again, chef," he said in a calm yet assertive tone.

"sorry," you say and try again and it's worse which luca picks up on.

"hm, worse."

he takes the tweezers from you and picks up the piece. "don't be afraid to just stick it in there, you know," luca takes the nut and slides it in perfectly. "just be confident about it."

"don't second-guess yourself," he says finally locking eyes with you.

you nodded. "yes, chef."

you took back the tweezers and third time was the charm because you placed the nut in the pudding just like he'd showed you. smiling to yourself, you put the tool down.

luca's face stayed expressionless. he looked up from the dessert. "you know how to make shiso gelee?"

you absolutely do not know how to make whatever he just said but there was no way you were gonna let him know that.

"yes, chef."

"alright."

luca stepped away to grab some ingredients giving you the opportunity to whip your phone out and google the gelee. "dextrose? what the fuck is that?" you whispered to yourself.

luca came back and placed a tray in front you. "recipe," he said tapping some blue index cards.

you felt your face burn. "thank you, chef."

end of part 1 omggg. not much luca x reader but it’s warming up trust me. i already have ideas for part 2 and 3 with some potential alternate endings... stay tuned

a couple months ago, you were approached by your agent who said that BFI wanted you to present an award at this year’s BAFTA as you won last year’s rising star award for your role in The Lost Daughter. there was a bit of hesitation before you accepted because there was a very high chance that one particular brit would be there.

you had dated and even got engaged to will poulter a few years ago. you first met on the set of The Death Cure where you played minho’s girlfriend and have been inseparable ever since. it started off as an innocent friendship because you were new to the acting industry and you wanted to focus on that but it was becoming harder and harder to resist him. from the moment he laid eyes on you, will knew he didn’t want to be ‘just friends’ and he made it known. several times.

so you did what felt right and you gave into will. you allowed him to take you on a date which led to a second one and a third and it snowballed into a beautiful relationship before you had the chance to blink. the two years you spent together were incredible, he asked you to move in with him a year in and 6 months later he proposed. it was a low-key proposal as you were both private people so he opted for an at-home dinner transforming your backyard. with the help of his mum, he hung fairy lights, set up a candlelit table with a crisp white cloth and rose petals on the table and on the ground surrounding it. he ordered from your favourite restaurant and after your meal, he had popped the question. it was the easiest yes you have ever said.

then things got tricky. you started to book roles out in LA which required you to move there. you tried the long distance and it was working for a bit but you were gone for months at a time. you had come home early from shooting your latest movie one day and expected him to be overjoyed but instead, you were welcomed with a disheartening look. that night he broke up with you because he felt like he couldn’t advance in his career and in life being tied down to you, someone who wasn’t even in the same country as him most of the year. that caused you to say some things and he said some more things which ultimately left you in tears and storming out the door but not before you told him to never contact you again.

when weeks flew by and there was a deafening silence from him, you were gutted to know that he actually did what you said. weeks turned to months and months turned to years and here you were 3 years later eyes locked with your ex at the british vogue x tiffany & co BAFTA after-party. this was the moment you were dreading since you stepped foot at this party. you broke his eye contact smoothing your hands over your dress, silently cheering that you picked the sexiest dress that your stylist could find.

you successfully avoided him that night but 2 weeks later he was literally unavoidable because he was at your door. see, will was invited by the academy to this year’s Oscars and he knew it was the perfect time to go to LA to get you back. he knew you and dylan were still good friends and hung out regularly so that’s exactly who he went to find out you lived.

hearing the rapid knocks on your door, you slipped the beige sweater over your white tee and reached for your tote. you were on your way out to meet a friend for lunch but you don’t remember saying to meet up at your place. “hey, I didn’t know…” your sentence trailed off as you took in the view of your will poulter. your ex. in LA? looking dishevelled but still so breathtaking with just a black tee and his favourite light wash jeans.

“y/n, hi,” he said demurely.

confusion spread across your face quickly. “why-how-what are you doing here?” you finally said.

instead of answering your question, he gestured inside your apartment. “do you mind if i come in?”

you paused at that request but ultimately let him through because whatever conversation you were about to have, you didn’t want it to be in the hallway with your neighbours' eavesdropping.

will took off his shoes as he entered because even after all these years he respected the fact that you hated outside shoes worn indoors.

“nice place. very minimalistic. very you,” he said softly. you knew what he was doing, he was trying to be cute but at this moment you were not in a ‘cute’ mood.

“will, with all due respect, what the hell are you doing here?”

“i’m presenting at the Oscars on sunday,” he replied. you stayed silent because that was not the answer you were looking for.

“i’ve been thinking about us a lot lately and… it was good. we were good,” he says with a soft smile.

you couldn’t believe that he was in front of you right now reminiscing old times. him. the man that had and broke your heart. crossing your arms, you spoke with an icy tone. “yeah well all good things must come to an end,”

he sighed. of course you wouldn’t let him off easy. not only did he end a relationship when you walked away, but he also ended your engagement, a potential marriage.

“what are you even doing here, will? hmm? you show up at my door after 3 fucking years talking about how you’ve been thinking about us? there isn’t an ‘us’. and what? now you want me back all of the sudden? i don’t get it.”

“it might seem like ‘all of the sudden’ for you but i regretted my words the moment i said them and i have been paying for it for 3 years,” will tried to take a step closer but you took a step back.

you shook your head at his words. “i loved you… and you hurt me,” you could feel your throat closing up. it was getting harder to swallow. “you told me that i wasn’t worth it. that i was holding you back from your career. and you know what’s so funny?” you scoffed. “i was coming home to london, to you, for good that night. i even told my agent to hold off on sending me to auditions in LA because i wanted to be with you. i wanted to work here so i could be closer to you,”

he frustratingly rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. “fuck y/n, i had no idea,”

“no, of course, you didn’t. you were deadset on having me out of your life all of the sudden that i felt like there was nothing i could say to make you reconsider,” you dropped your hands in frustration. this conversation was never gonna be easy, you knew that but it was still difficult because, after your break up, you repressed all your feelings and emotions and never talked about it with anyone at great lengths.

“i want you to understand that there is nothing that i said in that conversation that holds any value or reflects at all how i felt or feel now. i made a mistake and ruined the best thing that has ever happened to me. God, there were so many moments when i wanted to reach out and trust me y/n, i almost did but… i would see photos of you online looking absolutely gorgeous at events and premieres and see you on talk shows and it looked like you were happy. like you were better off without me.”

those words definitely eased your heart a little, making it flutter even. your hair shielded your face as you hung your head. “i wasn’t,” you whispered.

there was silence. you didn’t dare look up because tears were running down your face that you couldn’t bare show him.

will stepped forward and placed both his hands on your head. he wanted to look into your eyes as he said this. “i love you, y/n. i made the biggest mistake of my life all those years but i never stopped loving you.”

“will…” you said grasping onto his forearms and leaning into his touch.

“i know i don’t deserve it and I definitely don’t deserve you, but take me back. i will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

hot tears were threatening to escape will’s eyes. his stunning blue eyes. you wanted to take him back, you really did but how did you know that it wasn’t gonna happen again?

“i can’t be hurt like that again. i can’t, will.”

“i won’t. i promise. i’d give you my word but that probably means fuck all to you now.”

you couldn’t help but chuckle at that. It was just like him to throw in banter in the most serious conversations. “fuck, i missed you”

“and i missed you.”

he held your gaze until his eyes flickered to your lips. “can I kiss you now?”

you nodded and that’s all it took for will crash his lips onto yours. he already wasted 3 years, he wasn’t gonna wait for another second. his lips moulded yours perfectly. you moaned which gave will the perfect entry to slip his tongue in. his hands went to your waist to pull you in closer and your arms flew around his neck, drawing him in. and just like that all your worries and doubts slipped away because his kiss told you more than he could ever say.

"y/n/n? you ready?" timothée called out as he entered your very messy hotel room. you were getting prepped and ready for the 94th academy awards today and you couldn't be more excited.

it came as such a shock to you when you got your invite to the oscars because you were only in a handful of stuff. you had only recently come on to the scene as an actor and had met timothée in the chemistry read for 'bones & all'. however, your first feature film was with taylor russell in escape room: tournament of champions and both of you were so happy to work together again.

"yeah, come in," you said as you stuck in your diamond earrings.

"fuuuck..."

you turned around to timothée shirtless in a sparkly louis vuitton blazer and a silver necklace going down his chest. "holy shit," you swore back.

timothée had to stand back with a hand covering his mouth as he drank you in. unbeknownst to you, your stylist had chosen a dress that complemented timothée's ensemble. they stuck you in a floor-length black sparkly dress. it had a pretty high thigh slit and a diagonal chest cutout that wrapped around your neck.

you have never felt more pretty than in that moment, seeing the effect that you had on timothée. poor guy couldn't even compose a proper sentence together.

"i don't ev-i mean you're so...wow," he stuttered. this time he approached you and took ahold of your hands. you laughed and spun for him.

"i can't believe you're going topless. that's kinda sexy," you lightly stroked his chest with a finger. you were gonna drag it further before you were interrupted by your agent. it was go time.

"to be continued?" he smirked.

"absolutely."

the carpet went smoothly. this wasn't the first time you and timothée walked a red carpet together but it was your first oscars carpet.

the photographers were eating you two up but there were many times when some of them yelled at you to step aside to get solo pics of timothée which only made him pull you closer to his body. it wasn't until you were further down the carpet that yall separated for all of 20 seconds until his arm found your waist.

entering the building was such as surreal moment. you had always dreamed of getting glammed up and going to this event and here you were now with your favourite person by your side standing in a roomful of legends.

"y/n, you look stunning!" a voice came from behind you.

your mouth dropped as halle bailey approached. "you know who i am?!"

"girl of course, i do! you look amazing," she opened her arms and you gladly went in for that hug.

"that is all you, babe. i mean this colour on you... incredible." you said about her aqua dress.

"i don't know if you've met but halle, timothée," you introduced the two watching as they exchanged pleasantries.

"i have to be seated but we should definitely grab lunch one of these days,"

"omg i'd love that!" you replied. "i got you on ig, i'll dm you."

she hugged you again before flitting off to her seat.

"halle bailey wants to hang out with me, no big deal," you dusted your shoulders.

"oh this is gonna be a long night," he humorously rolled his eyes as he walked you to your table.

this year's hosts were regina hall, wanda sykes and amy shumer and they were doing pretty well but what took you by surprise was regina's bit in the middle of the show. she started off by saying there were missing covid tests from certain people and those people had to redo their tests backstage. she called up bradley cooper, simu liu, tyler perry and the one and only timothée chalamet. with this lineup of men, it was clear to everyone what the nature of this joke would be.

"y/n sweetie, you don't mind if i steal him do you?" regina asked. you laughed and shook your head giving timothée the okay to let go of your hand and go up. "i promise i'll return him... maybe not." she muttered that last part earning another laugh from the crowd.

regina hall continued with her bit once all men, including your man, were on stage. "i don't want any of you to worry, it's gonna be a typical quick covid test. you'll come backstage, take your masks off if you have one, and your clothes and then i'm gonna swab–no it's simple, i'm gonna swab the back of your mouth with my tongue and we're just gonna do some other freaky stuff which i will record for academy protocol really this isn't up to me. you know the truth is we're still in a pandemic..."

you couldn't help but giggle as timothée walked back with the most confused and astonished face. "i have no idea what just happened..." timothée whispered, taking his seat as jason mamoa and josh brolin took the stage.

"oh it's very clear what happened and to be quite honest i am kinda jealous THE regina hall wanted you and not me," you exclaimed.

timothée chuckled at that confession. "well, when i'm doing my covid test back there, i'll tell her all about you."

"that would be greatly appreciated,"

the rest of the night was eventful, to say the least with the whole will smith/chris rock smackdown but the best part of the ceremony for you was when jesscia chastain, your favourite actor and the person you look up to the most in the industry, finally won her academy award. you'd think you were in the movie yourself, the way you cheered and clapped for jessica as she got on stage.

since dune went away with 6 oscars you and timothée were in the mood to celebrate, so it was a quick outfit change and then you were off to the iconic vanity fair after-party.

after being in a dress for 5 plus hours you chose to spend the rest of of the night in a pantsuit attire while timothée chose an all-black leather and denim combo two-piece.

the second you stepped foot in the room, zendaya had grabbed both your hands and dragged you to where she was with hunter schafer and her boyfriend dominic fike.

as timothée and dominic were getting acquainted, hunter had wrapped you in a hug. "y/n, it's so nice to finally meet you! z has gushed about you for so long."

"gushed you say?" as you turn to the woman in question.

"it's deserved, y/n/n. you are a rising star and i can't wait to see you kill in 'bones & all'."

you felt cheeks grow arm at zendaya's praise. "coming from you, it means the world."

after that moment, you, hunter and zendaya slipped into a discussion about the night's events but also audition horror stories. hunter's story was just starting to get interesting but someone decided to interrupt.

"mind if i steal my girl?" timothée asked kindly, appearing next to you in the minicircle you formed with the girls.

xo by beyonce started playing as you two approached the dancefloor. "god, i love this song."

"and i love you," his piercing eyes searched yours as you slowed danced to the chorus.

"oh timmy... i love you too,"

"no seriously, thank you for being here with me tonight. the oscars is always this elite a-list event and having you here... like i wouldn't want to share it with anyone else. you ground me."

there was so much you wanted to say back but couldn't find the words to so you showed him instead. grabbing his neck, you pulled him down to your lips and kissed him softly.