Work Text:
‘Let’s see.. multiply by eight, and carry the four… ugh! Why didn’t I just finish this in class like everyone else?’
You sigh, frustrated with the homework scattered around your bed. Math was never your strong suit and you’re damn-near failing Ms. Tyme’s class, what with all the homework packets she’s been assigning each night. You look up at the Greedent-shaped clock on your desk and try to stifle a yawn. It’s after midnight, but you can grab a few snacks and energy drinks at the school store to help you focus. Looking into your fridge, you realize it’s devoid of ingredients as well. You grab your wallet and head down the hallway towards a nearby stairwell, having your Rotom phone hover near you so you can make a small shopping list.
Once you make it to the store you make it a point to buy a few fresh ingredients to cook with and some snacks to restock your cupboards. On your way out you pull your rotom phone out so you can walk and text, something your parents, teachers, and even your peers have told you is a bad idea. Everything seems to be going great until you collide with someone, the momentum nearly sending you both crashing to the floor. Thankfully, you have fast enough reflexes to grab the other student’s arm in order to stabilize them so they don’t fall.
“Watch where you’re going!” He shouts, clearly annoyed. He tugs his arm out of your hold and looks you up and down, seemingly scrutinizing every detail. Crossing his arms, he leans back against the wall and brushes his bangs out of his face. “Wait, I know you. You’re the new exchange student, right? You’re in my homeroom. Not that I’ve really seen you in class much since you were introduced.”
“Oh uh, yeah. I’m still having trouble finding all my classes, to be honest with you. I’ve never been in a school this large before. Not that I don’t like it, of course! It’s just.. different.” You look away, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. Not only did you knock this guy over, but now you’re rambling. Biting your lip, you look over at him after gathering your bags. “Look, I’m really sorry for bumping into you like that. I was just in a rush to get back to my dorm so I could cook for myself and my pokemon. Actually, if you haven’t had a chance to eat yet, you can join us. Food’s best enjoyed with others, or so they say.”
The upperclassman tilts his head and crosses his arms, eyes closed in deep thought. At least, you hope he’s just thinking hard and that he’s not actually preparing to scold you. You take a moment to really study his features. His long, two-toned hair. His thick, bushy eyebrows. His long lashes that really accentuate his vibrant green eyes—wait a moment. You nearly startle as his visible eye opens.
“What kinda maniac invites a stranger to their dorm to eat their food?” He asks, mild shock taking over his features. His lips keep trying to curve upward, and it’s clear he wants to accept the invitation. “What if I had a big strong pokemon?”
“Oh, if it helps we can introduce ourselves! I’m Y/N. If you cause any trouble however, I’ll let my Maschiff handle you, mister!” You reply and hold out your free hand.
“The name’s Arven.” He looks at you for a few moments before grasping your hand tightly and shaking. He gestures down the hall towards the stairs. “Now, where’s your dorm? I wanna meet this Maschiff… and see what you have to eat, of course.”
You both decide to get a move on so the ingredients you bought can stay fresh. To yours and Arven’s surprise, your dorms are right next to each other. It’s a wonder neither of you ran into the other sooner. You unlock your dorm and step in as quickly and quietly as possible as to not disturb the snoozing pokemon scattered across your bed. A purple-furred Maschiff bounds over to sniff at your guest and Arven proceeds to sit down so he can be fully inspected by each of your pokemon. You stop chopping vegetables so you can peer at him with a raised brow.
“Wow, they really seem to like you. I see Maschiff’s even fallen asleep in your lap! That’s something she only ever does with me or my dad. Whenever he’s home, anyways.”
“Yeah, I have a Mabosstiff of my own, so I know all their favorite spots they like scratched.” He pauses for a few seconds. “Well, I’m glad she’s in your care rather than with someone who doesn’t have the time for her.”
“You’ll have to show me those sometime. I’m sure Maschiff would appreciate it.”
Looking over at Arven with a soft smile, you watch as your Sylveon messes with his hair in an attempt to get his bangs out of his eyes. He acts annoyed, but you can tell by the sparkle in his eyes that he’s having fun. Maschiff barks and jumps into his arms, licking his face and making him laugh. Your Galarian Meowth even jumps off the bed and starts making biscuits on his shoulder. You honestly wished you could snap a picture of the wholesome scene before you. Admittedly, you were worried your pokemon would never come out of their shells after you had moved here, but now you see that you worried for nothing. Sure, you miss Galar but perhaps Paldea won’t be so bad after all.
You finish prepping everything and begin filling a large pot with water, setting it on the stove to boil. After the water starts bubbling you empty your ingredients into the pot along with a lot of different herbs and spices. You finish it off with some heavy cream and stir it all together, only stopping to sip a little bit to test the flavor. You hope Arven likes spicy things, as the curry you usually make tends to set people’s mouths ablaze. Erring on the side of caution, you add more cream to balance it out and close the pot to let it thicken up. Meanwhile all your pokemon have climbed off of Arven in favor of laying in the kitchen area, basking in the warmth and delicious smells wafting about.
Arven watches you from his seat on the floor with a confused yet curious look on his face, wondering why you’re tossing your sandwich ingredients into a cooking pot of all things. He knows he shouldn’t speculate and judge, though. You could have problems eating harder ingredients or you could just prefer your sandwiches hot. Either way, he’s not picky about food and he’s hungry enough to eat just about anything. When your pokemon jump up off of him to wait in the kitchen, he knows something great is coming. Arven can’t help but get up and follow them. He leans against the counter, careful not to touch the food prep area.
“Hey, do you need any help in here?” He asks, looking around not-so-subtly for a rag. “I can clean up while you.. do whatever else you gotta do.”
“Oh sure! The flannels and cleaning solution are in the large drawer nearest to you. Thanks so much!” You give him a big smile and reach slightly over his head for your bread. Normally you’d have rice or even noodles with your curry but you were all out of both. You then realize you never told Arven what you’re cooking. “Oh shoot, I hope you like curry. It’s my own recipe and a staple in Galar. I made this pot less spicy just in case you’re not into burning your mouth, heh.”
Arven’s eyes widen as he walks over to the pot, opening it to get a good whiff. It doesn’t singe his eyebrows off or anything, but he can tell it’s somewhat spicy and bursting with flavor. His mouth waters. It’s been so long since he’s had a good home-cooked meal. He grabs the stirring spoon and helps himself to a small taste. His eyes shut as he basks in the savory and sweet notes of the sauce that make him feel almost immediately at home. Like the mild spice, the feeling lingers on and it nearly brings a tear to his eye. He knew food can make people feel better. He just didn’t know that some random student’s dinner would make him feel so emotional and safe one night. Nor did he realize how much the feeling would remind him of Mabosstiff when he wasn’t hurt.
You wash your hands and grab a towel to dry them, stepping around Arven so you can turn the stove off. When you hear a sniffle, you turn towards him in shock and what you see breaks your heart. Arven’s standing there, arms crossed around himself tightly as he tries to keep the tears in.
“Hey Arven, you okay? What’s wrong?”
You tentatively set your hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. When he doesn’t respond, you gently lead him out of the kitchen so he can sit down on the bed amongst your pokemon. Sylveon immediately begins to fret about the young man, even using it’s ribbons to wipe away his tears. You grab your Maschiff and set it in his arms, and it snuggles close to him. Scooting closer to him so you can start rubbing his back through his tears, you’re somewhat unsure of what you should do. Minutes pass and eventually, Arven’s hiccups and sniffles calm down. He looks over at you, lightly blushing from embarrassment.
“I—I’m sorry, I just remembered something and your food tasted so good, and it was comforting.” He gives you a weak shrug and a small chuckle. “I’m fine now.”
Raising your brows at him, you nod in recognition. You know how comfort foods are. Heck, the first time you were able to make curry in this region you cried your eyes out because you missed it so much. It had reminded you of everything you left behind when you moved, even the things you didn’t really miss.
“I get it, I went through something similar during my first week here. It’s a little overwhelming at first, but it eventually passes with the more you eat. Well, it did for me, at least.”
You reach over to grab Arven some tissues then get up so you can give your pokemon their dinner. You grab all of their bowls, making sure to plate their curry in the amounts they like, even including vegetables on the side and bread for your more picky pokemon. Maschiff wiggles off of Arven’s arms so it can smash it’s face into it’s bowl. You grab bowls for yourself and Arven, giving you both hearty servings. As you hand him his, he looks a bit disheveled but happy. You both eat mostly in silence, only talking when one of your pokemon starts begging either of you for your servings. The Greedent clock dings quietly, signifying it’s quite late into the night and it could honestly be considered morning at this point. You both probably have class in a few hours and you don’t want your new friend to get in trouble because of you.
“I think it’s about time to turn in. I might have Home Economics in a few hours,” You say with a stretch and a yawn, grabbing yours and Arven’s dirty dishes. You put them in the dishwasher along with your pokemon’s bowls and start it up. “Thanks for coming over though! We should do this again sometime.”
“So do I. If you want, I can walk to class with you so you don’t get lost this time.” Arven gets up to stretch, popping his back a few times before walking over to you with his Rotom Phone out. He gives you an excited smile at the prospect of more homemade food. “Yeah! Here, let’s exchange info so we can stay in touch easier.”
Your Rotom Phone flies out of your pocket and both of your phones blink as the numbers are registered. While he’s messing with something on his phone, you take a minute to fix him a large tupperware of curry with the sides in a separate compartment. Upon handing it to him, he appears shocked but incredibly thankful all the same. He walks out, promising to return the container when he’s done with it and that he’ll feed some to his pokemon. You wave, telling him he’s welcome anytime he can smell your cooking from next door.
You take a moment to look at your texts and see a few from your friends in Galar. Normally you’d feel lonely seeing them have so much fun without you, but tonight’s different. As you start typing to them, a message pops up from Arven and you almost immediately click on it.
[Arven: Do you like to go camping by any chance?]
You smile softly, looking over at your hiking bag.
[Y/N: Yeah! If you’re looking for a hiking buddy, I’d be glad to come along sometime.]
It seems like not even a second passes after you send your reply and he’s already answering you with great gusto.
[Arven: Great!! We should go later this week after we stock up on a few things!]
You chuckle at his enthusiasm, swiping up on an incoming call from your friends in favor of texting Arven back.
[Y/N: It’s a date, then! See you later!]