felix navidad | lee felix
❧ pairing: prince!felix x gn.baker!reader
❧ genre: fluff, mild angst; royal!au, baking contest!au, s2l
❧ wc: 5k
❧ warnings: language, typical royal problems (servants, children working, etc), it's implied that reader's parents aren't in the picture (PG)
❧ summary: when the crown prince asks you, a lowly baker, to help him win the annual baking competition, you can't resist the sweet deal he proposes. during the course of 14 days, lee felix learns that there are as many ways to mix batter as there are ways to fall in love with you.
❧ a/n: hello guys <3 please welcome this surprise not really fic I wrote for brennan. it was a lot of fun getting to know her and I highly recommend you check out her blog!! this fic is a part of @freckledwinterfalls 's secret Santa event . tysm xie for hosting such a fun event !!
❧ to @seoulbinz: hiii brennan <3 I'm your secret Santa!! i really enjoyed talking to you and getting to know you, even if I didn't know you (other than seeing you occasionally interact with a few people I know) prior to the event!! you're really sweet and I feel really lucky that I got to be your secret Santa. anyways, I hope you enjoy this little piece. here's a funny story, I actually deleted (accidentally) half the draft yesterday so I had a late night typfest lmfao. after that, when I went to post, the tags on tumblr were officially #brocken so I hope you don't mind that I waited till the morning to post this. this also turned out a lot longer than I expected so I'm really sorry for that (I ballparked it around 2k lol). anyways, I'm sending you all my hugs <3 I hope you enjoy this and stay safe <3
masterlist
Hidden behind the lacy curtains, the young prince watched with glee as the baker roughly kneaded the dough, their fingers pressing into the soft mass. His brown eyes were wide open as he peered at the mysterious individual, brows furrowed at the fact that someone so young was working so early in the morning.
He supposed that it wasn't such a surprise that all the personnel were up early, preparing for the winter festival today, however, to see a child his age work so hard before sunrise definitely made him feel strange. Especially when he saw how hard you were working—loose strands of hair covering your eyes and sticking to your sweat-slicked forehead.
A sudden shout made him jump, almost revealing his whereabouts. He scurried to hide behind the counter as an old lady came into the kitchen, a scowl on her lips.
“Hurry up, Y/N! We don't have all day!”
The fear in your eyes was enough for the young prince to want to come forward and scold her for yelling at you like that, but he held himself back.
“I'm really s-sorry. W-We were out of milk so I had to run down to the pantry to—”
“Enough!” her sharp voice cut through the air, making you swallow the words on your tongue with a bitter sob. “I don't want to hear any of your excuses, understand? Now get to work you lazy child!”
With a horror-stricken face, Felix watched as you choked down a sob and wiped your tears off with your apron before returning to work.
That was the first time he saw you, the person who would in the future become your palace's best baker and his first love.
• ❧ •
“But mother, I want to compete this year! Why won't you allow me to?” the crown prince questioned, disappointment lacing his tone as his mother, the Queen, only smiled.
“We've been through this many times, Felix. Baking simply isn't something a young prince, such as yourself, should be concerned about. There are many other hobbies that are a lot more prince-like. How about Mr. Lee's fencing class? I've been wanting to enroll you for ages. I heard that Hyunjin has been practicing for a couple of months now…”
Rolling his eyes, the boy could only pout. “Please, mother. It's something that I truly enjoy and I've been longing to do for ages.”
The light from the chandelier illuminated the queen’s face, bouncing off of the precious jewels that were sewn on her dress. “Look, Felix… this competition isn't for the likes of royalty. It's simply something dumb that we organize for all the cooks and bakers of the palace in hopes of motivating them to work hard. If you really want, I can ask Mrs. Choi to teach you, but you'd have to keep it a secret—if word goes around that the crown prince is baking—”
Felix simply grunted in response, walking away before his mother could even call his name. His ears turned red at the mention of Mrs. Choi—the head baker. He hated her with utmost passion. She was the one who screamed at all her subordinates and made them do all the work while she sipped tea.
The woman was a witch, and at the thought of being taught by her, he felt sick to the stomach.
Kicking the pebble on the ground, Felix sighed, wishing that he wasn't bound by such pointless royal duties. Why couldn't he compete? It's not like he would suddenly abandon all his classes, no, Felix wasn't like that. He was very diligent and his hobbies wouldn't stop him from doing well in his studies. Sure, maybe his… enthusiasm to be part of the royal family wasn't as strong as his cousin Hyunjin's, but that didn't mean that he would slack off.
Quite the contrary; when Felix put his mind to something, he wouldn't stop at anything to accomplish it.
• ❧ •
“You want me to what?” you shrieked, formalities long forgotten as you stared incredulously at the crown prince.
His brow was perched in amusement, and the aura he emitted was enough for you to want to fall to your knees. His sharp eyes gazed into your own as you slowly trailed down to take him in as a whole. Sure, you've seen the crown prince—the young boy, or should you say the man—whom you've served for almost your entire life on many occasions. You've seen him during all festivals and celebrations, assemblies where you were required to bring in pastries and desserts. Everybody in the palace knew how their future king looked like.
However, it was all from a distance. And even though there were dozens of his paintings hanging along the hall, done by the best of artists, none of them dim him justice. They didn't capture the elegant curve of his jaw, the freckles dusting his cheeks like stars in the galaxy, nor the way his eyes seemed to shine like the Sun.
For a few seconds, you were completely and utterly mesmerized by his beauty. It seemed so distant yet so close and you had to suppress the urge to reach out and caress his cheek.
An awkward cough forced you back into reality. Embarrassed, the heat immediately rose to your cheeks as you realized what you have done. In hopes of salvaging the situation, you hastily bowed down, muttering your apologies.
“I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness. I don't think it would be proper for me to help you like that. Please excuse me—”
“No, please,” desperation seeped into his voice, and turning around to face him, you noticed the way his hand clutched your arm. “I really need your help… please don't go.”
Your eyes watered at the sight. The boy seemed so lost and helpless—like he didn't have anyone else to turn to. If he was asking a lowly baker for help, it must've meant that he's exhausted all his options.
Nevertheless, you didn't want to get yourself into any trouble. All these years, you've been working hard with a singular goal in mind. One day, you wanted to open a bakery and share your creations with other people. It was a noble dream, yet still, you knew that it wouldn't be easy. The king had to approve of all new establishments, and you've heard of people who waited for years for him to hear them out, just to be denied.
A woeful sigh left your lips as you peered at the prince from under your lashes. “I'm really sorry, Your Highness, but I don't believe I'd be of any help. I'm just a lowly baker. If you'd like, I could ask Mrs. Choi if she’d—”
“No.” His deep voice cut through the air, making you look up. When he saw the uncertainty in your eyes, he softened his gaze. “I want you to teach me.” He paused for a second, licking his lips as he continued. “I know you're the one who made the raspberry tarts last year. And the papaya cheesecake the year before.”
Your eyes widen in surprise, shocked that the prince knew the truth. Tears gather at the corners of your eyes at all the bitter memories of Mrs. Choi receiving trophies that she didn't deserve at baking competitions. You were the one that you should've gotten them. After all, you were the one that spent hours in the kitchen, trying out multiple recipes and working hard. She had been forcing you to bake everything, while she received all the praise.
“All of the winning cakes and pastries Mrs. Choi supposedly baked,” he lowered his voice into a faint whisper. “They were all done by you, weren't they…”
The pained expression on your face is all the confirmation he needed. Slowly, almost as if he was afraid of scaring you, he placed his hand on your shoulder in an effort to comfort you.
“W-What do you want from me? I swear that I didn't mean to help her cheat—she forced me,” you hiccup. “She forced me to do it. I would never willingly comply with her.”
“I know.” The smile on his lips could light up the entire kingdom. “That's why I've come to make a deal with you.”
Oh.
A deal? Well, that's interesting… and surprising too. The crown prince was coming to you for a deal?
A smirk appeared on the young man's lips when he realized that he caught your attention. Despite your mind telling you to be reasonable and turn down whatever it was that he wanted, the child-like curiosity was still burning inside of you.
And the urge to satiate it was too strong to resist.
“And what would this deal of yours be, Your Highness?”
Unbeknownst to you, the boy released a breath he was holding, relieved that you didn't deny him. “I want you to teach me your ways. If you help me win the annual baking competition, I'll talk to my father about allowing you to open up a bakery on the market.”
The way your eyes lit up made Felix chuckle, his own eyes turning into crescent moons when he saw you so happy. The bright smile on your face shone like the brightest star, and for a second, he felt like he was in a trance. Your soft voice brought him back to reality.
“Uhm…” you nervously shuffled around, clasping your hands in front of you. “I-I guess I agree, Your Highness. I'll try my best to teach you everything I know.”
Upon hearing that, his entire face brightened up. “Thank you, Y/N. I greatly appreciate it.”
• ❧ •
A few days have passed since you nervously agreed to help the young prince with his baking endeavors. Mere minutes after you've closed the deal, fear and uncertainty started creeping into the back of your head, but you tried your best to push that into the deep corners of your mind.
There were only two weeks left till Christmas Eve—the day the competition was supposed to be held—and you were already feeling nervous.
Wading through the snow, the icy wind bit at your cheeks as you scurried to get to the south wing of the palace. Felix—as he insisted you call him in private—suggested that due to the recent renovations, the place would be perfect for you to teach him.
The kitchen was fully equipped, yet no one was ever there. The reason was quite simple—the south wing was just recently renovated for the purpose of housing Felix and the future Queen once he would be ruling the kingdom.
“Okay so let's start. For today, I've brought all the ingredients you need to make chocolate brownies.” You started to lay out all the ingredients you brought in a small wicker basket.
You handed him the neatly folded piece of parchment. “Here's the recipe. I'll just stand by and watch you. If there's anything you need help with, just let me know.”
“Wait?” He pouted, puckering his lips. “You won't do them with me?”
“Ah,” you tutted. “I won't go anywhere, Lix.” he could feel his heart bursting at the use of the cute nickname. “If you aren't sure what to do next, you can just ask, okay?”
“Okay.”
• ❧ •
“Hey!” you yelled at the freckled boy, shielding (or at least trying to) yourself from the fistful of flour he was about to throw at you. “Do you even want me to help you?”
The room was filled with giggles and throaty laughter as Felix continued his flour attack, even reaching for the cocoa powder.
“No, no, no… you wouldn't,” you shrilled, backing away as he chased you with a large smile on his lips, cackling like a little child. “Lee Felix! Don't you dare throw that at me or—”
“Or what, sweetheart?” his voice dropped as he leaned in closer, almost caging you between the kitchen counter and his lean body. “Go on, tell me… What are you gonna do?”
You could feel your heart beating like a drum when your eyes met, the ever-present twinkle in his eyes making you freeze in your spot. Your cheeks heated up in embarrassment, unsure what to make of his close presence and hooded gaze. The only thing you manage to do is quietly stutter.
“I-I won’t help you with t-the competition.”
Upon hearing that, the boy tensed, unsure of what to do. Leaning in closer, his palm reaches to caress your face. He then breaks out into a grin, lowering his mouth to your ear. “You had a lil' something there, sweetheart.”
Your heart halted in your chest as embarrassment washed over you. Quickly placing your hand onto where his was just a second ago, you mumbled. “It was probably just some of the flower you threw on me, dumbass.”
And the prince hollered in response, turning around and getting back to where he left off, leaving you in a muddle of conflicted emotions.
• ❧ •
The two weeks have passed in a blur—days seeping into nights in what felt like a matter of seconds. However, you've been extremely occupied with preparations for the winter baking competition.
Over the past fourteen days, you've taught Felix over twenty different recipes, ranging from traditional fruit tarts and pastries to not-so-traditional sweets like baklawa.
Despite your best efforts to convince him to choose something more… fitting of the Christmas theme this year, Felix was hell-bent on baking the same thing you showed him on the first day.
“Listen, Lix… I know you really love brownies, I mean—who wouldn't love brownies, right?” A faint chuckle escapes your lips. “But don't you think you'd have a better shot at winning this if you chose something more… conventional?”
Felix smacked his lips in response, patting your head in reassurance. “Don't worry, Y/N.” He singsonged. “I have everything under control, just you wait.”
In the meantime, as you were rolling your eyes at his dorky behavior and a strange affinity for the chocolate-baked good, he managed to catch onto your arm and pull you along.
“C'mon! Let's go look at the Christmas market!”
• ❧ •
They say that love is in the air during the winter season.
As you were running around freely, laughing and giggling with the crown prince, you began to think if this is what love truly feels like.
Felix knew the place like the back of his hands, zigzagging through the crowd of people as he dragged you behind him, his delicate fingers gripping onto your wrist.
You felt like the protagonist of a romance novel. He took you to all these different booths, picking out small knickknacks and trying them on. After some time, he noticed how you tightened the thin, worn-out coat around your body, blowing on your hands to try to salvage some heat.
He almost faceplanted, cursing himself out for not realizing any sooner.
“You're cold, aren't you?”
Peering up at him from under your lashes, you shake your head. The day is beautiful—tiny snowflakes falling from the sky and gracing the area around you with a thick, sparkly layer of snow. The entire market looked straight out of a fairytale book, the large Christmas tree in the middle being the cherry on top.
A breathless laugh escaped the prince's lips before he slid out of his thick, wool coat. Your eyes widened in confusion when he gently placed it around your shoulders, maneuvering your arms to slide inside the sleeves. “There we go.”
Your cheeks heated up in embarrassment as you were faced with the prince in his full glory. Without the coat, his entire royal mantel was on display. He was clad in white, form-fitting pants that matched the shade of fresh snow to the T. Tucked into his trousers was a thick, white blouse with golden embroidery and a small, golden-hued napkin that sat inside of his breast pocket. He wore a light-cream overcoat and a pair of white leather boots that only accentuated his long legs.
His blonde hair was parted in the middle, allowing you to see his entire face, save for the small area above his eye that was obstructed by an unruly lock.
Despite spending multiple hours with him every day for the past two weeks, you couldn't help but swoon over his beauty. Lee Felix was simply ethereal, there was no other way to describe it. And as you were busy admiring his pretty features, his eyes caught on to something interesting.
“C'mon, Y/N. Look over there.” He pointed at the stand all the way in the back. “Let's go check it out.”
When he placed the bright-red Santa hat on top of your head, he almost doubled down with laughter before hastily purchasing the item and thanking the vendor.
“Here.” He adjusted the hat on your head before playfully pulling it down over your eyes and taking off.
“Felix!” You shouted over the commotion, rearranging the accessory so it wouldn't obstruct your vision. You couldn't stay mad at him for long though, instead choosing to run after him. You were nearly out of breath as you hollered. “Stop right there, Lix!”
After a while of playing cat and mouse, Felix finally ended the painful game by halting and allowing you to catch up with him. You nearly tackled him to the ground, angrily hitting his shoulder.
“There there.” He cooed, finding your anger adorable. “Let's go get some hot chocolate, yeah?”
At the mention of the sweet drink, your entire face lightened up, prompting the prince to chuckle. “You really love hot chocolate, don't you?”
Instead of answering him, you grabbed onto his arm and started pulling him towards the direction of the hot chocolate stand, believing that that was enough of an answer in and of itself.
As the two of you sipped hot chocolate on a bench in the park, the Sun was setting behind you, casting a warm glow on the both of you. One hand holding on to the paper cup, your other hand was resting next to you on the bench. And while Felix watched you delicately slurp the sweet beverage, the urge to simply grab your hand grew stronger. Just as he was about to gently interlock his fingers with yours, you stood up, squeezing the empty cup in your palm.
Turning to your friend, you whispered. “C'mon, we should start heading back.”
When he gave you a sad pout, you added. “You don't want to miss the competition, don't you?”
“Yeah… You're right.”
When you finally heard that he was ready to comply, you couldn't help but ask one more question.
“Are you really making brownies?”
He giggled. The giggle then turned into a snort, something that a mere two weeks ago you would've thought was extremely out of character for the young royal.
“Don't worry.” He slowly stood up, dusting off his pants and patting your head. “I have everything under control, you just have to wait and see.”
“Alright.” You mumble. “If you say so… I trust you.”
• ❧ •
To say that you were nervous would be a generous understatement.
You've been sitting inside the room for over three hours, surrounded mainly by royals who came here for the sake of entertainment. When word got around that the crown prince would be competing, many young girls from noble families lined up at the gate to come and watch the future King.
At first, you weren't even planning on coming inside—you've had more than enough unpleasant memories associated with the place. Nonetheless, when Felix begged you to come in for him, you weren't able to resist his puppy eyes.
And now, you felt extremely out of place. If you took out all the bakers competing in the show, all the people around you were of royal blood. Some of them had been coming to watch the competition for years, meanwhile, others heard about the prince competing and didn't want to miss a chance of seeing their future ruler in action.
Even the King and Queen couldn't resist coming. They sat all the way in the back, hoping to stay incognito. An almost laughable attempt given the fact that their faces were known all over the kingdom.
Still, you appreciated them looking out for his son.
After fifteen or twenty minutes, the judge finally called his name. Your heart skipped a beat when the prince finally walked on stage carrying a large tray of chocolate brownies topped with what looked like whipped cream.
The judges each tasted a piece, most of them nodding in approval at the taste. A warm smile graced his lips as he gently placed a plate in front of the last judge. After that, a meeting was called for all the judges where they discussed the possible winners.
The entire evening went by like a flash, and before you knew it, the head chef (who was also one of the judges) stepped forward. In his right hand, he held a parchment of paper from which he read off the standard speech about the history of this competition and how the joy of creating food was something universal.
Fast forward to when he was finished, a cheeky smile appeared on his lips. “As you all know, we've had quite an unusual contestant enter this year's competition.” Laughter rippled through the crowd. “And it is simply my pleasure to announce that prince Lee Felix is the winner of the 37th annual baking competition.”
You erupted in cheers along with all the others in the crowd, happy tears lining your eyes. On the stage, Felix looked just as close to bursting into tears when he accepted the trophy, ‘thank yous’ slipping past his lips.
He then began his speech filled with genuine words and funny anecdotes. In a matter of seconds, he had the entire crowd under his thumb.
“There's one last thing I'd like to say.” He paused, taking a deep breath before he continued. “I wanted to dedicate this victory to someone I know… To someone that taught me everything there is to know about baking.” You could feel your hands getting clammy as he continued with his speech.
“This person is an incredible baker—in fact, they were the ones that baked the two deserts that won the competition last year and the year before.”
The entire crowd gasped at the revelation, hanging on his lips as they waited to hear who this mysterious person was.
“I'd like to dedicate my victory to Y/N L/N, the baker who deserves everything and more. I've promised them, Father, that if they manage to teach me enough to win, you'll allow them to open a bakery on the main square.”
This time, it was you who gasped. Main square? Was he out of his mind? You only asked for a small establishment on the market—you wouldn't even dare suggest that you deserved a place on the main square.
Alas, you turned around to face the King, hoping to gauge his reaction. Holding your breath, your eyes widened as his stoic expression slowly morphed into a smile.
He was proud, you realized after a few beats of silence.
For the rest of his speech, you felt like you were in a trance, your kind not fully gripping that this wasn't just another fever dream.
It was reality.
As you watched the two rulers walk away with their son, his father's arm affectionately thrown over his shoulder, you couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at the domestic moment. The Queen's eyes were glazed as she reached to hold her son's hand, pressing tender kisses onto the top of his forehead. The prince laughed ins response, the sound echoing through the room as all three of them exited.
Scrambling to pick up all your belongings (which until now wasn't that much), you threw the prince's heavy coat over your shoulders and slid the red hat over your head.
The hall was slowly starting to empty, everyone was walking away with their loved ones, gushing about how excited they were to spend Christmas Eve together.
You sighed. It wasn't anything you weren't used to. Ever since you came to the palace to work, you've been celebrating all holidays alone. It hurt at first, but over time, you learned to not think about it. You tried to tell yourself that one day, you'd be able to celebrate these holidays with people you loved—whether it'd be family or friends.
As you walked out into the cold night, the icy wind attacked you almost immediately, numbing your cheeks and freezing the tips of your fingers. In an attempt to preserve some warmth, you snuggled tighter into the woolen coat, sighing as you inhaled the lingering scent.
Lavender with a hint of patchouli… It smelled like him.
From the cobblestone path along the north wing of the palace, you could see all the people in through the windows, celebrating like there was no tomorrow.
The smell of beef roast, fried carp and fresh, cinnamon pie lingered in the air, only reminding you of everything you were missing out on and further driving the point that you were lonely.
A young boy almost ran into you, his apology coming in giggles. You were about to ask him if he was alone when you saw a middle-aged man run after him with a wide smile that reached his eyes.
“Wait for me, Jeongin!” he panted as he struggled to catch up with his son. His dark hair fell over his eyes from under his cap, obstructing his vision. “We have to go get the milk for mommy, remember?”
As they passed you, another wave of anguish washed over you. Your stomach grumbled, making you realize that you didn't even have anything prepared to eat. Every year, you would bake some pies and cook a meal for you to eat in your tiny room on Christmas Eve.
This year, however, you were so occupied with helping the prince, that you forgot to make anything for yourself. Well… There's nothing you could do about it now, so there was no sense in allowing yourself to wallow in pity.
A sudden shuffle you heard made you instantly turn around. Nothing… That's strange—you could've sworn you heard something. Nevertheless, you were about to brush it off, when suddenly, you felt two hands cover your eyes.
“Guess who it is?” The unmistakable deep voice rang in your ears as you smiled, excited to see, or rather feel, the prince.
When he peeled his hands away, he stepped in front of you, handing you a small wrapped pocket. “What is this?” you carefully questioned, thumbing the pouch as curiosity bubbled up in your veins.
“How about you see for yourself.”
The cockiness dripping from his tone made the heat rise to your cheeks as your frozen fingers began to tear the wrapping paper. When it was finally off, you were left with a small jewelry box in your hands. You gasped in disbelief, opening the box with trembling fingers.
“F-Felix.” You heaved, eyes watering at the sight. There was a silver necklace inside the velvet box—the one you've longingly glanced at while you were at the market together. “S-So that's where you ran off to? To get me this necklace?”
“Yeah.” He whispered. “It was the last one left.”
Pulling down his coat from your shoulders, he carefully took out the piece of jewelry, unclasping it and putting it around your neck. When he was done, you heald your breath, fingers reaching to touch the delicate snowflake pendant hanging from your neck.
At that moment, Felix thought you looked like the most ethereal person he's ever met. Under the moonlight, you were illuminated by the silver glow and you seemed almost unreal in his eyes.
Hands sliding around your waist, the young prince pulled you into his chest with a fond smile.
“Merry Christmas.”
At those words, you felt the dam inside your eyes finally burst, allowing the tears you've held inside for so long to finally trickle to the surface.
“There, there.” He whispered, rubbing comforting circles on your back. “I heard that you usually spend Christmas alone, so I figured you could come celebrate with us…”
Your eyebrows shot up in surprise as you sniffled into his shoulder. “C-Could I? Are you sure?”
“Yeah! Of course—it's the least I can do for you after all you've done for me. Plus, I'd really like to spend the evening with you….” He trailed off, ears turning pink.
Your laughter rang in his ears and your hands reached to cup his face. Gazing into his chocolate orbs, you gave him the sweetest smile before leaning in and pressing your lips to his. Fireworks erupt behind you as the two of you kiss for the first time, and you felt like you were floating on air.
Felix's hand slid down to your waist and he squeezed gently, making you giggle into the kiss. Grabbing your hand in his, he points in the direction of the palace.
“C'mon, let's go!”
Without a sliver of doubt in your soul, you follow him as the two of you muddle through the snow.
“By the way, I made coconut brownies with whipped cream.”
Your eyes widen. “Shut up! I thought you were joking.”
Tucking a strand of golden hair behind his ear, he grinned. “Nu-uh. I never joke about these things. And don't worry—I was careful not to burn the coconut, just like you said.”
“I know.” You whined. “But it would've been a real disaster if it got burned.”
“Well lucky for us, I didn't. Now c'mere.” He halted, making you topple into his strong hold. Pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of your nose, he whispered. “I can't believe you were the first one to kiss me.”
Gazing into his sparkling eyes, you replied. “I'll let you be my last if you'd like.”
Smirking, he exhales. “I'd like that very much.”
© January 2022 by crispy-chan — all rights reserved. do not modify, copy, repost, translate or claim as your own.
a/n: hiii!! if you've read so far, ily <3 and please consider letting me know your thoughts. this fic was a bit... experimental to say the least. i was definitely dipping my toes in new waters and testing it out. needless to say, i really enjoyed writing this piece !!! even though misfortune lined the was like a path of thorns lmfao
lots of love and stay safe <3
