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Arven sticks the batch of cookies in the oven and hops on the counter, letting Mabostiff press against his leg with a little huff, his tail wagging when the boy pats his head and then ruffles to fur between his ears “I can’t wait either, but we can’t eat them until everyone is here!” he reminds him with a little grin, turning to look outside at the rolling hills outside the lab.
The ocean barely visible from where he’s standing looks dark and menacing, heavy waves slamming on the shore in the freezing weather.
Yet inside the house the temperature is mild, the lights cast a warm glow everywhere, Greedent has found enough berries to feed an army and they’re in little bowls around the living room or dangling from the tree.
Arven didn’t know how hard it could be to wait for his friends to show up, he’d hadn’t let himself think about it when he had invited them because that little slice of doubt that they wouldn’t really come, that they would disappear too, that fear would never leave him and he wasn’t going to let that control him.
He has cooked, baked, prepared the house, he has kept himself constantly busy to keep himself from thinking, but now there’s nothing else he can do but wait.
He kicks the drawers behind his feet lightly and Mabostiff nuzzles him again adding a soft whimper.
“I know… I know… they’re on the way…” he murmurs, trying to convince himself.
The oven timer goes off and he gets the cookies out, breathing in their delicious scent.
It’s barely a few minutes later when the doorbell rings and Arven hurries to open, fighting back Mabostiff who tries to shove himself forward to greet Penny and the rest of Team Star “Down buddy, wait!” he orders, letting his friends inside with a grin “Happy holidays!”
They trickle inside and make themselves comfortable, Penny stays beside him as she looks around “This is such a different place than the pictures you showed me of the lab!”
Arven shrugs, caressing the staircase rail he’s spent days carving and putting together over the summer.
“I decided to make it my house… Just mine… It’ll still be a lab, but all focused on foods.” He says softly, reassured when Penny smiles up at him “Sounds like a great plan, you’ll do wonders” she sniffs the air, smirking “I’d say you already got the kitchen working for tonight… Show me!”
Arven leads the way and it’s only her gasp that makes him consider he might have gone slightly overboard. Trays, dishes and bowls of different foods cover every inch of counter available.
“Arven that’s… how many people do you want to feed?”
The young man chuckles, embarrassed “Uh… Have you ever heard of stress baking?”
Penny frowns, casually grabbing a cookie “What, did you think we wouldn’t come?”
Saved by the doorbell.
“It must be Nemona and Florian, hold that thought!”