[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]The sound of Jack's voice, seeming scarcely louder than a whisper, brought Aurelie up short. At first, she almost thought she was simply imagining things, especially considering she'd just been thinking of him. Though they'd met up off and on a few times after that first date a year ago, it had been over six months since their last meeting.

Surely, Jack wouldn't just happen to pop back into her life now...would he?

But then Aurelie turned toward the direction of the voice and caught her breath. There he was, standing by the garden gate, looking thinner, more tired, and more careworn than she remembered. The piercing eyes in that handsome face, though, were unmistakable as he gazed toward her. Her breath came faster and her heartbeat suddenly pounded in her ears like thunder.

"Jack!" Her incredulous, elated cry rang across the garden.

Without a second thought, she dropped her watering can with a thump and ran toward the gate, pulling it open with a sharp jerk at the padlock. Taking two steps forward, Aurelie impulsively flung both arms around his neck. Unexpected tears stung at her eyes, both the covered and uncovered one.

She raised her face toward his and touched his cheek in wonder, as if expecting he would puff away like smoke. "You're alive," she murmured in astonishment. "I mean, I guess why wouldn't you be alive, but still, the last I heard you were trying to return to Galar and I heard...I heard..."

At this point, hearing the words pouring out of her, Aurelie shook her head wryly and cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I'm babbling, aren't I? It's just...it's been six months, Jack, and not a word! And there have been so many crazy things happening both here and overseas, and I didn't know what would become of you—or me, for that matter. Now, after all this time, I don't know whether to kiss you or punch you, after you just disappeared the way you did!"

Still, Aurelie didn't relinquish her hold on him or lower her gaze from his. A touch of breathless laughter colored her voice. "But I guess I can make that decision after I know a little more than I do now."

Her callused fingertips trailed slowly along the side of his face, her touch feather-light against his skin. "How...how are you? Are you okay? What...what made you come back to Hoenn?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]At first, Aurelie relaxed as she felt Jack's arms rise to encircle her, drawing strength and reassurance from their solid warmth. But then she drew in a sharp breath when she heard the word "love" from Jack's lips. Even if rationally, she grasped that Jack was just saying he enjoyed a particular character trait of hers—in this case, her spontaneous, uninhibited candor—hearing him say it gave her a shock all the same.

But we aren't... We're not... Are we?

In her mind, theirs had always been a casual relationship, started because of a tipsy impulse at a beach party. Somehow, it'd worked out. She liked Jack, she found him great company both in bed and out of it, and she felt happier, stronger, more secure, and like a better person around him. Their relationship was fizzy, fun, and delightful, like champagne, and not anything she ever thought would be deep or serious.

And yet...when Jack reappeared seemingly from the dead, Aurelie had flung herself at him just as if they were long-lost lovers. And here he was, saying he loved something about her, and she...she didn't know what to think. Except that she wasn't sure anymore about how she felt about Jack, or about being in love with him.

But Jack had moved on and changed the subject, and Aurelie pulled her attention back to what he was saying now. As he struggled to explain how he'd returned to Galar and hadn't been able to contact anyone, she let out an involuntary sympathetic whimper when she saw the tears spilling from the corners of his eyes. Even she could tell that there was so much he wasn't saying, perhaps because it would've been too painful to share with anyone.

Aurelie thought of how she'd feel if she ever returned to Kalos and found it a ruined wasteland. The thought was so horrifying that she had to push it out of her mind, or start crying herself. No wonder he was still so grief-stricken.

"Oh, Jack..." she whispered huskily, when his well of words gradually ran dry. "My heart hurts to see you like this. I'm so sorry. For everything you went through. But I'm glad you're back. I'm glad you came back to a place you can still think of as something like home."

She tilted her head upward toward his and kissed him gently, fleetingly. A brush of the lips, no more. After he'd called Hoenn home, there was no way she could bring herself to punch him instead of kiss him.

Then Aurelie opened her eye again and met his gaze, clearing her throat. "I only...I only wish you had a more..." She struggled briefly for words. ""A more luxurious home to return to. A more worthwhile home.

"But..." She shook her head and gave a faint, self-deprecating smile. "I'm out of groceries, and I haven't gone shopping yet. So stupid, right? So banal. I can't even cook you a comforting or celebratory meal tonight. But now that you're back, I don't want to let you out of my sight again!"

Her arms tightened around him, a low, wry chuckle emerging from her throat. A breath of wind touched her face as she pulled back slightly, bringing with it the scent of fiery spices and roasting meat. She sniffed deeply and appreciatively.

"Want to go out for dinner instead? And maybe another long evening walk on the beach?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. "There's some amazing restaurants along the beachfront. My treat. And no falling in the ocean this time, I promise."

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Seeing Jack smile, even if slowly and faintly, filled Aurelie with relief and also made her catch her breath as his eyes glimmered in the last luminous glints of daylight before the sun finally disappeared below the horizon. He continued to hold her gaze, and she almost melted into it. Even sad and tired, the man was far too attractive for his own good, at least from her point of view.

I only hope that I give him as many excited shivers and goosebumps as he does for me, she reflected. Aurelie hadn't realized how much she'd missed him until he was standing right there next to her. It was difficult to look away from him: the flutter of his eyelashes when he blinked, the creases in his cheeks when he smiled, and the soft curve of his lips as he spoke.

She gently laced her fingers through his, and they left the garden behind to head toward the beach. His Boltund paced excitedly around them with every step. His adorable antics seemed to lighten both their spirits, as Jack's face brightened further.

At his suggestion that they assemble another feast of to-go orders and eat together by the water again, Aurelie broke into a merry peal of laughter. "I love that you liked that idea so much! Well, I liked it too," she declared, "so let's do it."

Aurelie tugged him closer as she strode toward a charming little shop with a pink-and-green-striped awning. "First, we need to hydrate! This place has the best lemonade in the city. Fresh-squeezed and not too sweet. I recommend the blueberry lemonade, but you also can't go wrong with strawberry, peach, or just classic lemonade."

They soon collected their drinks and started sipping their tangy, brightly colored beverages. "It may not be quite as good as my friend Xiura's boba teas," Aurelie mused thoughtfully. With their hands still entwined, she absently ran the callused tip of her forefinger over Jack's knuckles with a light, caressing touch. "But it's pretty close."

Pulling her gaze away from Jack, she didn't notice if he gave any sign of recognizing her friend's unique name. Instead, she focused on surveying the variety of beachfront restaurants, cafés, and food trucks before them. Unlike Slateport Beach, the offerings here were more seafood-centric: ceviche, fish tacos, poke bowls, sushi, fish and chips, shrimp dumplings, and seafood with noodles. There were some more eclectic options like steamed pork belly buns, pasta in rich sauces, barbecued short ribs, spicy curries, and of course, burgers and hot dogs.

"So, where to now?" she asked cheerfully, her full attention centered back on Jack. As other hungry tourists and diners jostled and shoved past, Aurelie stepped closer to him, until her cheek was all but resting against his shoulder. "Does anything here strike your interest so far?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]As they wandered along the beachfront restaurants and food trucks arm-in-arm, Aurelie found herself having a surprisingly difficult time concentrating on food, for once. Despite being a lifelong Kalosian gourmand, she kept being distracted by the presence of Jack beside her. Everything felt more with him around: lights shone brighter, heat felt hotter, and touch was more intense, as though her very skin had become hypersensitive to every breath of air.

While Jack was reflecting on the vast difference in living conditions between Hoenn and Galar, Aurelie couldn't stop marveling about how surreal it was that, a mere hour ago, she'd been missing him with a fierce, yearning ache, uncertain if she'd ever see him again. And now he was here, close enough to kiss his cheek, inhale his scent, take his hand in hers, and hug him every few minutes—all of which she was doing, unashamedly and happily.

Even when they spread the food out on the picnic table, she couldn't pull her gaze away from him at first. What finally broke her out of her little trance was his Boltund, Watts, squeezing under the table and nudging at him for a share of the food. "Nah, don't be sorry," the redhead chuckled, sitting down beside Jack on the bench and shaking her head dismissively. "It's not like I'd ever mind having a feast like this all to ourselves.

"And it seems like Watts doesn't mind either, apparently!"" She grinned, wagging a finger playfully at him in mock-disapproval when Jack fed Watts a shrimp dumpling, even as she too slid a grilled scallop from a nearby dish to the Boltund as well.

Her eye widened when Jack seemed to recognize Xiura's name, pronouncing it smoothly and correctly. "Oh, do you know Xiura? Yes, she runs a boba tea café right here in the city. She was my forge's very first customer, with an order of kitchen and paring knives. We should stop by her café sometime!"

Absently petting the Boltund's head under the table, Aurelie tugged the dish of grilled scallops, corn, tomatoes, and avocado toward her and dug in heartily. "Mmmm, this is good! No wonder Watts scarfed down that first one so fast. Want to try one?"

Without waiting for an answer, the redhead quickly picked up a scallop with her chopsticks and leaned toward Jack to offer him a bite. The gap between them was so small that Aurelie could feel the warmth of his skin and admire the faint flecks of gold in his dark eyes, glimmering in the distant lights along the shore. Her other hand wandered unconsciously to rest atop Jack's on the table, her fingers entwining with his.

"Remember how we did this last year too?" she murmured, her voice a little huskier than it had been a moment ago. "Now that we're not close enough to the ocean to fall in or drop anything," she added with a self-deprecating smirk.

Aurelie's gaze flickered toward his lips, her own parting as she let out a soft breath. Her body angled closer to him without her even realizing it, and her heartbeat quickened. She couldn't help thinking of how it would feel to have his mouth capture not the offered scallop, but instead her own lips in a deeper kiss than she'd greeted him with, earlier.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]A shudder of surprise and pleasure rippled through Aurelie as Jack leaned forward past the scallop to steal a kiss. Well, was her last conscious thought before she kissed him back, I guess he couldn't really steal something I'm happy to give him. A faint, disappointed sigh escaped her when he drew back, still looking her in the eye, and playfully ate the scallop off the ends of her chopsticks.

"Jack, please," she breathed out, the words catching in her throat. She licked her lips, still tingling from the contact with his, feeling a warm languor suffuse her entire body. The kiss had focused all her disparate, conflicting thoughts and emotions into a single overpowering feeling: desire.

Letting out a low growl filled with a hunger that had nothing to do with food, she watched impatiently as Jack chewed and swallowed the scallop, every passing second a torment of anticipation. As soon as she saw he was done, she pounced. Leaning forward, Aurelie captured his mouth with hers in a deep, needful, almost rapacious kiss, with no softness or gentleness in it, only intense craving and urgency.

The chopsticks clattered free from her fingers, enfolded within his, while her other hand rose to slide along the back of his neck, tangling into his hair. The taste of him overwhelmed her senses, drowning out everything else. Instinctively, her body arched forward to close the tiny remaining gap between them, her hips pressing against his, her nerves ablaze with yearning and eagerness.

Only when the need for air became a must did Aurelie finally pull away, reluctantly. She took a quick, ragged breath.

"Jack," she whispered again, her single eye half-lidded as she looked up at him. Aurelie laughed softly and unsteadily, feeling her heart racing in her chest. "I think we need to take this dinner to-go and continue this..." Her lips slowly curved in a smirk. "Back at my place."

Aurelie would've dragged him back right then and there but for the food still laid out on the table. She sucked in her breath thoughtfully, pondering what to do. Thankfully, one of the food trucks they'd visited had provided a large paper bag, and most of their food had come in paper and Styrofoam containers. Hastily, Aurelie started shoveling food haphazardly into random containers and dropping them into the bag, greedily stealing a kiss from Jack with every carton put away.

When everything was loaded away, she picked up the bag and rose to her feet, pulling Jack behind her by the hand she still hadn't relinquished. "Never mind," she murmured in his ear in a low, husky purr, "all this. Catching up...later. Dinner...later. Right now..."

A soft breath left Aurelie as her fingers traced the lines of his face, the curves of his cheek and jaw, much as she'd done earlier that evening when she'd flung herself at him. This time, though, she looked very certain of herself and what she wanted to happen. "Right now...I just want to get you alone. And enjoy a nice...long...leisurely...and much-awaited night."

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT