“For fuck’s sake, Loveless,” Lex groaned, scooping up the Espeon and placing the pokemon back on her shoulder, “I just got ‘im back. I don’t need you running away on my watch so I lose him again,” she scolded the psychic-type between deep breaths. Loveless proceeded to apologetically rub her head against Lex’s cheek, she knew all too well the red head couldn’t stay mad at her.

It was one thing to run a quick errand but an entirely other mess to have to chase the Espeon halfway across the city in the wrong direction because she had a taste for Rattata. Luckily, Lex was quite fast and could keep up fairly well. It was another miracle all together that she managed to keep a grip on the box Killian Decker had her retrieve. She didn’t know what was in, but it better be damn good. Lex refrained from peeking inside the box. She knew it was Valentine’s Day, she wasn’t that dense, but why she had to go retrieve it was still a mystery to her.

Thankfully, the rest of the walk back to her small Slateport studio was uneventful. The familiar ascent up the narrow set of stairs was different this time. There was the mouthwatering scent of garlic mixed with honey that led straight to her apartment door. Their apartment door.

She paused for a moment, a smile spreading across her face. What was he up to?

Lex entered the apartment with that same smile and a curious brow raised as she looked over towards the kitchen. Loveless immediately lept off her shoulder to proudly relay the success of her mission to Killian. Lex’s smile grew wider. Not just because Killian was in the midst of attempting a grand romantic gesture, but because she was still thrilled to see him here with her every time she opened the door. The apartment kind of felt like a little home with him here, something they both hadn’t experienced in over a year.

Moving towards the bed, Lex didn’t say a word. Everything was visible in the playful smirk on her cherry red lips and the way she studied Killian hard at work, chopping a carrot. Most of the stuff strewn about the small kitchen were things she knew she didn’t own, “Well, this is a surprise,” she set the box and her jacket on the bed and walked towards the kitchen, “Where’d you get all this stuff so fast?” she knew he was resourceful but this was quite the feat.

Killian Decker

“Oooo, sneaky,” she moved to stand beside Killian and peer over his shoulder while he finished the first carrot. Her hand gentle slid down his back and stopped at the apron, “This is cute,” she grinned, rubbing the seam of it between her fingers. She definitely didn’t own an apron, but she liked the way it looked on him.

There was once a time when Lex cooked. Lately, she couldn’t be bothered with it. It was too much work, too messy, and it required utensils she didn’t own. She moved frequently and dealing with stuff was such a hassle. She missed it a little. The apartment smelled amazing and her stomach agreed. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until just then, starving actually. She blamed Loveless for making her run all over the city.

“Oh really?” she followed his nod to the table that actually had two chairs instead of one. She hadn’t noticed it when she walked in but now it stood out entirely. It was her favorite surprise of them all. Lex flashed a small smile, “You could have sat on my lap,” she teased, leaning back against the counter top. This must have put her in quite the good mood to attempt cracking jokes. She thought she was funny but sometimes her silly jokes fell on deaf ears.

Her amber eyes flicked from the box on the bed and back to Killian, “Of course not,” she shifted her gaze to Loveless, “But if there’s something fragile in it I can't guarantee it’s in one piece,” she admitted with a small shrug, “Precious little Loveless had me running across Slateport because she just had to chase Rattata,” her eyes narrowed on the Espeon, still a tad bitter but she loved the little nugget, “She didn’t eat any . . . I think . . . anything I can do to help?” she asked, quickly changing the subject from almost losing his favorite pokemon.

Killian Decker

Lex returned the seductive smile with a grin of her own. Just the way he looked at her set her soul on fire. Killian made an excellent point, “Yes, yes I would,” she agreed, there was no arguing that logic. She turned her attention back to Loveless at the soft rub against her hand. The thief’s fingers curled under the Espeon’s chin to give it a good scratch, “I could never stay mad at you,” she smiled sweetly, leaning down to give the pokemon a kiss on the top of its head.

“Key to your heart, huh?” she echoed with a curious brow raised, “I thought I stole that a while ago,” another joke, and another smile. Life was already infinitely better with Killian back in it. Everything she needed, and everything she wanted was right here in front of her. In this moment, life was perfect in every way. Though the fragile happiness was constantly under threat of imploding in around them, the present is where she chose to remain. Lex watched him with admiration as he moved through the kitchen. He was perfect.

Lex eagerly melted into his embrace, suddenly lost in his aqua eyes. The heat from his touch resonated through her body. She slipped her hands around his waist in return, “Tired?” she laughed, shooting him an equally flirtatious grin, “Now I’m offended,” she attempted a feigned look of hurt like his earlier but couldn’t hide the smile, “I don’t think I’ve ever been too tired for you,” which was true. Lex’s endurance was hard to match and she could never get enough of him. Between the embrace, the ass grab, and the mischievous sparkle in his eyes he was just asking for it. And Lex was more than happy to oblige.

Sliding a hand up his chest and to the back of his neck, she pulled him in for a hungry, passionate kiss.

Killian Decker

Lex was shamelessly addicted to him. It wasn’t infatuation and it wasn’t as superficial as mere attraction. His touch, his smell, his taste; she needed all of him in a way she had never experienced before. If it was possible, she loved him more now than she did a year ago. Their reunion made it all painfully obvious. She’d never let him go again or take for granted a single moment they shared together. With the world against her, she never knew which moment could be her very last.

They moved as one. The abrupt bump of the counter behind her elicited a subtle shimmy that brought her up onto it. Her legs wrapped around him in an effort to pull him closer. Goose bumps rose down her arms from the light touch of his lips against her neck. She expected more, but the heat of his breath lingered there for a beat too long. Her head moved slightly to bring her lips closer to his ear where she whispered playfully while twirling a bit of his hair between her fingers, “Such a tease,” there was a hint of a challenge, maybe, or a bit of encouragement to finish what he started.

The silence was broken by sizzling chicken which drew Lex’s gaze behind him and over to the stove. A frown tugged at her lips. She was caught between the knowledge that they could easily go get lost in each other and the idea that the beautiful meal he was in the middle of making may go to waste if they let it continue. She loved him too damn much to be selfish. There was a heavy sigh, “Better not let the chicken burn,” If it was any other night, she’d let the damn chicken burn but he seemed particularly excited about what he had planned this evening. She gave him a light kiss on the cheek while uncurling her legs from around him. Lex remained seated on the counter, leaning back with a small smile to watch him.

Killian Decker

Her tactics worked – for a moment. He was eager to continue until she mentioned the chicken. His attention was torn away from her and back towards preparing dinner. There was an initial feeling of regret when he pulled away and Lex was left to just watch him. Fortunately, it quickly faded when she noted the frown caused by slightly overdone chicken. It seemed he had invested quite a bit into tonight which didn’t surprise Lex. Killian wasn’t one to half-ass anything he did. Sometimes he held himself to unnecessarily high standards.

Regardless, the stress he was putting on himself was palpable and confirmed when he mentioned the need for a cigarette. Her frown curved into a grin when he turned to tease her about being a distraction, “Hm, that doesn’t sound like me,” there was obvious sarcasm in her voice. It was definitely not the first time she would have distracted Killian from something by using herself as the distractor.

Lex leaned in to meet the kiss, careful to keep it just a light peck, “It’s perfect already,” she whispered with a small smile as he pulled away again. She wasn’t lying, him just being there made it inherently perfect.

She faked a look of offense, “Ya hear that, Loveless?” she looked towards the Espeon, “He’s kicking us out!” after hopping off the counter she slid past him, “C’mon, we’ll go have some girl time,” she looked back at Killian while Loveless leapt onto her shoulders, “Don’t keep me waiting too long,” she smiled playfully, the psychic-type curling her soft tail around Lex’s neck.

It wasn’t really another room, just an outcropping of the studio apartment where the bed lived. After kicking off her boots, Lex finished the job Killian started and slid off her pants. She settled on the bed with her back against the wall. Loveless moved to her lap and spun onto her back, playfully nudging Lex’s hand with a paw. It was what she always did to Lex when she wanted to play. Lex smirked and happily obliged, using fast fingers to tease and tickle the Espeon while she gently swatted and bit at Lex’s hands.

Killian Decker

The studio smelled amazing. Between the tantalizing sizzle of the cooking food and the savory scent of garlic and honey Lex’s stomach was starting to feel quite empty. After a while of playing with Loveless, a deep growl from her stomach startled the Espeon while looked up at her wide-eyed and concerned, “It’s fine, I’m just hungry . . . thanks to you,” she laughed, nuzzling the pokemon before shooing her off her lap. She could hear Killian rummaging through dishes which meant dinner was probably almost ready.

Lex figured she probably shouldn’t show up to dinner in just a t-shirt and underwear with some-what wind-blown hair. She was certain Killian wouldn’t object, prefer it actually, but he put so much effort into tonight she should probably try at least a little bit.

While Killian finished up dinner, Lex rummaged through the small amount of clothing she did own. She didn’t really have much one would consider above casual. The realization made her frown. Honestly, she was never expecting to have to dress up for any occasion. It's not like she was dating before Killian showed up. It was in that moment she wished she at least owned the standard ‘little black dress’ most women had as part of their wardrobe. After a heavy sigh she pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand. T-shirt and jeans, it is.

At least she would put on a fresh outfit. The black t-shirt she was wearing came off and was replaced by a fresh, somewhat loose-fitting v-neck. She shrugged on a clean pair of black skinny jeans but didn’t bother to replace the belt. She didn’t expect the clothes to be staying on that long, anyway. Lex was attempting to smooth out her long red hair when Killian stepped out of the kitchen with two plates piled high, “Starving,” she smiled, following him over to the table that now had two chairs.

Lex waited patiently, watching him with a sly smile until he returned with a bottle of wine, “It’s perfect,” she responded. Wine wasn’t whiskey but as long as it wasn’t too sweet she’d enjoy it. Plus, it was good to switch it up a little sometimes, “This looks amazing,” her ambers eye hungrily traced the steaming food piled on the plate in front of her.

Killian Decker

Fingers gently curled around the wine glass, pulling it to her with smile. Her amber eyes never left him as he sat down across from her. She leaned against the table, taking a sip of her wine as he did. You could see it in the way she studied him with a certain admiration that her thoughts were quite similar to his in the moment. Setting the wine down, she moved to begin eating first, popping a few pieces of carrots onto a fork when the whisper gave her pause. His words kindled a fire in her soul, one that had burnt out the darkness she’d been fighting since she fled Johto. Him finding her had saved her, more than either of them probably realized, “I love you, too,” she smiled back, popping the carrots into her mouth before turning her attention back to the food.

The abrupt bzzt of the Rotom phone and Hijack rushing over with a call wasn’t too surprising. Killian dealt in information, after all. His business was communication. It wasn’t uncommon for Hijack to be chasing after him with calls and messages. It didn’t bother Lex, she didn’t even glance up from her plate to watch Killian shoo away the phone while she took a bite of chicken. It was the name, or almost name, that stopped her as she reached over for her wine, a sudden spike in her awareness.

Her hand continued towards the wine glass, eyes looking up suspiciously as the phone vibrated again. Killian’s sigh told her it wasn’t just an informant. And if it was, it was one that was probably in deep shit based on his reaction. Lex took a slow sip of wine while her thoughts raced.

There were a lot of names that started with a K – Kyle, Kayley, Katie, Kevin, but not many that would suddenly alter Killian’s mood or the beginning of which would put Lex on edge. But if it really was him Killian wouldn’t hide it . . . Would he? It would be dangerous to do so.

No. She was being paranoid, that’s all. It wouldn’t be the first time she let the fear get the best of her. Lex refused to let it ruin this perfect moment, “It’s fine,” she smiled, setting the wine back down, “I know I get you all to myself tonight,” she grinned, a lustful sparkle in her eyes.

Killian Decker