This work is part of Stellefly Week 2026! Please check out the other wonderful submissions at #StelleflyWeek on Twitter/X! The prompt for this work is “Cooking”
“There! That should just do it!”
“Stelle… are you sure about this?”
The kitchen counter was a mess of flour and sugar. An upbeat Robin tune echoed from a flour-caked phone on one side of the counter. The silver-haired girl held her own phone, squinting at the recipe displayed on it.
“It says here we’re supposed to use less sugar than that…” Firefly said softly, unsure of herself.
“Of course I’m sure! When have I ever been wrong?” retorted Stelle, wearing a proud smile.
Firefly’s eyes narrowed. “Well, there was the time you said you didn’t need practice when we went ice skating… And the time you tried to eat a dozen corn dogs in one minute…”
Stelle huffed, but she couldn’t hide the amusement in her voice. “Hah! Well, those were only two times! It’s rare when I’m wrong! Plus, I’ve never been wrong about baking!”
Firefly couldn’t help but smile at that. Stelle’s never-ending optimistic confidence may have been misplaced on occasion… but it was always infectious. That was just one thing Firefly loved about Stelle. With confidence like that, it was hard not to be inspired.
Next to Stelle, Firefly felt like she could do anything. She could bake, she could cook. She could take on the cosmos. She could laugh, she could cry, she could love.
She could live.
Firefly knew that feeling was fleeting. So she chose to hold onto it as tightly as she could.
Firefly laughed at Stelle’s ridiculous remark. “Okay… I trust you,” she replied—perhaps against her better judgment.
Stelle laughed right back. “Good! Because these oak cake rolls? They’re gonna be the best you’ve ever had!”
Firefly smiled brightly. She doubted that these poor rolls made by two wannabe-bakers would turn out as well as the ones they had on Penacony—even if they had followed the recipe perfectly. But she did know that no matter how they turned out, she would be the happiest girl in the universe. And even if it was only for this short, fleeting moment… That was more than enough.