' ... you're home. ' when he had returned for the day, he hadn't thought jasmine would be there. his hope would have been she'd be off at the gym, blissfully unaware of her brother's sneaking in and out of the house. in desperate need of replenishment after several months of tracking suicune, she was closest---and now, UNCOMFORTABLY close. this was. . . /awkward/.
“ … should i nnnnot be the surprised one, tha—t … you’re home? “ jasmine spoke, smile sheepish & modest when facing her half-brother. how long had it been? long. yet not the longest it had been. the gym leader’s chest heaved in a deep, shaky breath as she clenched onto the spatula she was holding onto, turning the food in the pan. irony was a funny thing. if mother nature had not started turning the nights darker, jasmine would not have had a hard time waking up this morning, and in her rush forgotten the lunch-box she was supposed to heat up.it was obvious that he had wanted to pass her by. his discomfort with her presence left a bitter taste in her mouth. if this was the kind of anxiety that life was dragging onto her, she knew the food would turn hard to swallow.
turning the heat on the stove down to half of what it was, she dared to leave the pan alone for a while, only so she could do something which was far from natural yet needed to be done. she walked up to him, feet light and soundless across the floor, and wrapped her arms around him in a single, fleeting motion. she had to stand up on the top of her toes to reach around his neck and shoulders. it was brief, but she was hit with a bittersweet mix of anxiety and joviality. there was no need to stand there, frightening him, pressuring him to hold her back, but at least she took the one thing she ever really dared to desire of him these days. with lips parted, yet no sound, she smiled at him while pulling away and stepping back again. there was a small motion that looked like she was about to trip over her own feet, but her hand found the counter and she behaved like it was merely an illusion.“ it’s nice … seeing you, alive. “ she wheezed, a chuckle resting in the undertones of her gentle voice. “ i … i’m making tea … if you . . ? “
