This is a request but I have free range! Lowkey was stumped on this one cause, like, my creative energy tank is completely empty. So I took an extra scene from a one shot that was already long enough and slapped it onto this one. First idea for this was way to shitty~

Edit February 3, 2021: Not 100% sure that this one shot is pronouns free so please let me know if I'm wrong so that I can correct my mistakes.

"(Y/n)!" Mirajane bursts through the front of the guild. She sees her friend over at the bar drinking water. "Check it out!" She slaps down a flyer on the bar.

'COOKING CONTEST

This Saturday at 13 hours!

Held at South Gate Park?

Register with your partner at...'

"So?" (Y/n) replies with an unenthusiastic face. "What about it?"

"Don't you wanna enter?" She replies her eyes sparking full of hope.

"Not really, besides you need a partner to enter..."

Mirajane sighs, "well too bad." (Y/n) looks up with a puzzled expression. "I already signed us up."

"You what?!" The mage stands up, but quickly notices the attention from the other members and sits back down.

"Come on (Y/n)! It'll be fun!" She smiles, "plus it'll be good for the guild."

"There's no backing out, is there?"

"Nope!" She smiles widely.

"Not even if I get down on my knees and beg?"

"Not even if you leave the guild~"

The poor mage, who just wanted some piece and quiet for once, sighs. "Fine, I have no choice anyway..."

Mirajane beams and puts a hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder. "Don't worry, you're gonna have so much fun!"

----

The day of the contest had arrived, but Mirajane was nowhere in sight. With the contest about to begin, (Y/n) started getting really nervous. You had to have someone else with you as a partner to enter. There was only one other team competing, they were the best chefs in all of Magnolia.

Little did (Y/n) know, there was something else happening behind the scenes. Mirajane went on a mission with Erza three days prior to this event. They were asked by their guilds master to help a town far away deal with a plague.

Mirajane knew she would make it back in time, but she asked Laxus to as Freed if he would take her place just in case she didn't. Of course that was all a lie, she made it back safe and sound with Erza the night before. This was all going according to her plan, 'make (Y/n) make a new friend'.

Freed joins (Y/n) at the cooking station just as the contest was about to begin. "Where's Mira?" (Y/n) whispers as the judge addresses the crowd of people and other Fairytail guild members.

"She couldn't make it." Freed replies, "so she asked Laxus to ask me to fill in."

"Today we have two Fairytail members going up against the two best chefs in all of Magnolia!"

Evergreen and Laxus were some of the guild members who decided to watch, mostly because of their teammate was competing. "This'll be good." Evergreen laughs while Laxus smirks over at the person sitting next to him, wearing a cloak.

"Did you hear that, cloak?" He laughs, "the two best chefs are competing against our fairies."

The person in the cloak starts to sweat a bit more, hoping the best for the fairies.

"Ready...!" The judge stops to build up tension, "begin!"

(Y/n) and the two other chefs race to the center where different ingredients were being held. Freed stood in his kitchen confused and didn't know what to do or what was happening. It was a first come first serve basis after all.

"Do you know how to cook?" (Y/n) asks Freed, plopping down all the ingredients onto the counter space.

"Not really..." He mumbles, "can you tell me what to do?" He asks.

"Depends," (Y/n) replies with a sigh. "Do you know how to use a knife?"

"Yes." Freed replies and (Y/n) puts an onion in his hands. "We're going to make a shepherd's pie but without meat and any dairy products. I need you to chop this, making the pieces as small and the same size as possible."

Freed watches and peals the onion before he asks, "are you sure this is going to work?"

"Yes." (Y/n) replies and sets the potatoes into a pot of boiling water. "We only have two hours, let's hurry and get this done."

Freed finishes chopping the onion and looks at (Y/n), who is currently mashing the hell out of the potatoes, for the next instruction. "Carrot," Freed picks up at the four large carrots, "chop them into circles and make very sure they are all the same size." Freed nods, rises off his knife and begins.

Over in the crowd, "this must be way out of (Y/n)'s comfort zone..." Evergreen mumbles.

"Anything is out of their comfort zone." Laxus sighs, "Freed doesn't know anything about cooking but he knows how to follow directions to the letter. I'm sure they'll be fine."

"It's weird seeing you be nice, for once." The person in the cloak mumbles.

"Shut it." He glares back.

"We are at the thirty minute mark folks!" The judge announces, "if you are going to put anything in the oven now is the time!"

(Y/n) had finished the mashed potatoes, adding in the final spices just as Freed was finished prepping all the vegetables.

With everything now ready, (Y/n) put in the shepherd's pie and sets it to bake in the over for one hour.

"Any reason why you choose to make this?" Freed asks.

"Everything is made out of ingredients that can't be undercooked. Meaning that if something isn't cooked all the way, the judge can't get sick. Plus we can make side dishes with all the time we have left over." (Y/n) replies, looking over at the ingredients table.

Freed looks over at (Y/n) and studies their face, "what are you thinking?"

"We need a side dish..." (Y/n) mumbles, "but we don't have enough time to make dinner rolls... we'll just have to go with salad..." The chef then turns to Freed, "I need you to get a head of lettuce, four tomatoes, three bell peppers but each needs to be a different color, cucumbers, corn and any kind of bean."

Freed nods and rushes of the of the kitchen space while (Y/n) starts getting another pot of boiling water ready. Freed rushes back with the lettuce, peppers and cucumbers before running back to get everything else.

The judge walks over to (Y/n) with the microphone in his hand. "So, what are you making today?"

"Shepherd's pie with a side southwest salad." (Y/n) mumbles into the microphone as Freed runs back with the ingredients in his hand. "Sounds wonderful!" The judge beams, "best of luck to you." The judge smiles at both of them. "Thank you very much, sir." Freed responds.

The fairies still had twenty minutes to spare after they had finished the salad. "Are you sure we should be making salad?" Freed questions, "we don't have the right ingredients to make any dressing..."

(Y/n) looks over at the judge and then back a Freed. "Take a good look at the judge, what do you see?"

"Uh, his super skinny?" He replies, "probably not a big magic user...?"

(Y/n) nods, "right. He is very skinny but still looks fit. He probably knows a lot about nutrition and doesn't eat salads with dressing. That's why we are adding in corn and beans to make it a little more unique."

Freed was a little taken back by this answer. He would have never thought to think like that in a cooking contest.

Silence filled the kitchen space as there was nothing to do other than watch the shepherd's pie cook in the oven. "So what exactly got you into cooking?" Freed asks, trying his best to make a conversation.

"It's an easy way for me to express myself." (Y/n) replies, watching their dish cook in the oven. "I can say a lot of words without having to talk this way..."

"May I ask how?" He says, not letting the conversation drop.

"Like if you make someone favorite food for them, it makes them happy right?" Freed nods in reply, "that can be a way of showing appreciation or just letting someone know you're thinking about them."

"So you cook to make people happy?" Freed questions, looking up at the other Fairytail members who came to cheer them on.

"Yeah." And the conversation ends. The pie was done and (Y/n) took it out of the oven, it had the nice golden brown top that (Y/n) was hoping for.

Luckily for them, "time is up!" The judge announces with a smile. The other two chefs were grinning as they take out their cake that was decorated beautifully. Freed looks down at the pie and salad they had made and got nervous.

"That was ridiculous!" Evergreen slams her drink down at the bar. "Those idiots didn't cook their cook their cake all the way!"

"Yeah, that was a waste of time." Laxus agrees, taking a bite of the shepherd's pie. "At least they let us take the food back home."

"That poor judge up and quit after he cut into it." Freed laughs, "who knew cake could be so runny on the inside but look perfect on the inside."

(Y/n) raises their hand, taking a long sip of their drink. "They should have checked it first before decorating it..."

It was now early morning and the other guild members have all gone home. Laxus' team had decided to stay and have a few drinks. (Y/n) was roped into staying with them though. Mirajane had revealed to be the person in the cloak and begged (Y/n) to forgive her. That led to Mirajane owing her friend something that has not been decided on yet.

Another hour passes and the group decides to call it a night, or early morning.

"So," (Y/n) turns to Freed after the other had waved goodbye. "Do you maybe want to get something to eat, sometime? I know a few good spots..."

Freed smiles and nods, "I would love too."