[HDP] Baking Buddies

It’s that time of year once again. Hearts and Dragon Parts.

Lucius didn’t mind that he didn’t have a partner, nor did he care that all his friends were already busy. Well, he mostly didn’t care. What was really on his mind, unfortunately, was his family. In the time leading up to Hearts and Dragon Parts, Lucius had seen how close it was bringing others together, especially Gacha families. He wasn’t sure if he actually saw that many families celebrating, or if he was just projecting how much he actually saw. Either way, he couldn’t help but admit that it stung to see.

Lucius’s family wasn’t cruel, really. However, they were an awfully rigid group of Gachagons. Prim and proper through and through, they held lofty expectations for their brood. Throughout his childhood, Lu worked his nerves in an effort to meet up with the expectations of his family, or rather, to appear as though he was more of a star than he really was. His parents were never mean to him, but they never really seemed to show any vivid emotions of any sort. Something to “save face”, if his eavesdropping ears were correct. Now, around Hearts and Dragon Parts every year, he is once again reminded of just how shallow his relationships with his family members really are.

That is, with one big exception.

His ears perked up, with the rest of him following suit. Lucius glanced around from the creek he had been moping by. He realized he was extremely close to his destination here, almost as if fate had led him to this exact spot. His prickled, anxious fur began to settle back down as he realized that he may not have to spend Hearts and Dragon Parts alone after all.

Lucius hadn’t even gotten close to the door yet before he could smell the heavenly scent of baked goods wafting from the cottage he was heading to. There, in that cottage, was his cousin, Jupiter. Jupiter, like Lucius, had never really grown close to his family members for many of the same reasons, but held good favor with most of the family because of his talents in the kitchen. Though he could make a pretty good meal out of just about anything, his specialty was making sweets. While most of his family bonds were shallow connections made to satisfy someone’s sweet tooth, Jupiter and Lucius always had a pretty close bond. One day, a tired, young Jupiter noticed how anxious his little cousin was and vowed to break him out of his shell little by little. Since then, the two of them have been thick as thieves.

Lucius opened the cottage door, calling out a greeting that was echoed back by the Gacha in the kitchen.

“Come on in, but you’re not gonna like it in here,” Jupiter warned.

“What do you mean by tha…”

Oh no.

Lucius was hit by a wave of heat and thick air once he crossed the threshold of the door. The smell of baked goods from outside was so concentrated here that he was convinced it was seeping through the walls. A couple of stand mixers rang out a harmony of deafening hums as they stirred bowls of frosting. Most notably, every inch of Jupiter’s kitchen was covered in huge sheet pans. They blanked the counters, the tables, the appliances, and in some rarely treaded corners of the kitchen, even the floors. One was set on the group of stand mixers, jostling around with a harsh clanking sound.

Lucius looked at his cousin in pure terror.

“I told you that you weren’t gonna like it,” Jupiter said, exhaustedly.

Lu’s fur puffed up as the kitchen began to overwhelm him. “How do you even survive in here?”

“I barely do. But I’ve gotten used to doing this by now, so I guess I don’t notice it that much.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Jupiter glanced around at the busy kitchen, trying to think of anything but the routine he had grown used to. “Do you think you could open that window for me?”

Lucius quickly shoved open the window in the kitchen. The cool, winter air felt so refreshing against the heat of the kitchen. The sheer change in temperature also grounded him back down, allowing him to finally process everything that was going on.

“What is all of this for, anyway? Trying a new recipe out? Making something for a bake sale?”

“Nah, just making these for the Keep. I wanted to do something for Hearts and Dragon Parts.”

“Is there anything I can help you out with?”

Jupiter smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Your company is all I need. I’m just happy I won’t be spending my day alone.”