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“Boba tea? Is that good?”
Kieran blinks away his surprise at Juliana's question. His eyes scan the menu of Peachy's until, sure enough, scrawled cheerily in the summer specials was melon-flavored boba tea.
“Surprised it's not peach,” he mutters before addressing Juliana, “You've never had boba?”
Juliana shakes her head, smiling, her eyes abrim with curiosity as she reread the menu.
“I guess it hasn't caught on in Paldea, yet, huh? Aw man, I love that flavor.”
Kieran pauses in consideration. How would you explain boba to someone who hasn't had one?
“It's like, um, a tea with these chewy little balls at the bottom. Sometimes they're solid, sometimes they're filled with a sweet juice. Um.”
Kieran loses his train of thought as Juliana's gaze turns from the menu to him, meeting his eyes. The low-hanging sun in the sky casts a golden glow over the both of them, but Juliana in particular appeared to glow, transcendent.
Studying her for a moment, he hoped to etch the moment into his memory when the all-encompassing realization hit him like a falling apple to the noggin- Carmine was right. He DID have it bad.
“Kieran?”
Oh Arceus, he's been staring too long, he's been staring too long, he's been staring too long, he's-
With a deep breath, Kieran steadies his racing thoughts and manages a response, “Sorry. It's hard to explain. Maybe I could..”
He searches for a menu price and notes with dismay that he only has enough money to purchase one tea.
“I-I can get you one?”
Why was that a question? He tries again, “Um, if you want, I can buy one for you. To try, I mean.”
Juliana beams and for a second Kieran wishes he could buy a thousand boba teas for her. He orders with full confidence much to the amusement of the older woman manning the shop.
Auntie Peachy, as he and all the village kids called her, addressed him as she counted back his change, “Is that you, Kieran? My, you look more and more like Yukito by the day.”
Kieran accepts his change and the drink quickly, hoping to avoid an embarrassing exchange from someone he knew to be both well-meaning and over-bearing. Unfortunately for him, Auntie is as shrewd as she is discerning.
“Oho, now that's a new face! Must be one of those visiting students, is she not?” She exchanges a cordial wave with Juliana before lowering her voice, “You should invite her to the festival coming up. You know they say that couples who-”
Kieran's face flushes as he interjects, “Ok, great, thank you, Auntie!”
After a heel pivot, he hands the drink over to Juliana and attempts to abscond before anything incriminating is said.
“Come back by tomorrow,” the old shopkeep calls after them, earnestly, “I'll have two more melon teas for you on the house!”
The two thank her and wave as they retreat to a bench on the far side of the village. Disaster averted now, Kieran turns his attention to Juliana as she eyes the drink suspiciously.
“This is the thickest straw I've ever seen,” she remarks and adds, “Do I just stab through this film on the top?”
“Y-yeah! Want me to do it for you?”
In truth it thrilled him just a little to have something he could show her for once. Playing the role of teacher was a task he took gladly.
“Hmm, let me try.”
Hesitantly, Juliana stabs at it once unsuccessfully, twice successfully. A satisfied grin flickers across her face.
“Perfect!” Kieran nods excitedly, “Now you just um. You know.”
“Suck?” Juliana laughs, “Are you too embarrassed to say suck?”
“Drink,” he recovers smoothly, surprising even himself, “I was going to say drink. Come on, try it!”
With one last tentative look, Juliana finally places the straw between her lips and drinks cautiously. She smiles with her first sip then tries again, this time pointedly taking in a few boba pearls. Thankfully she does not nearly choke like he did the first time.
Juliana chews thoughtfully and declares, “Yeah! It's good!”
“Really?” Kieran straightens up, pleased, and blurts without thinking, “Can I try a sip?”
Juliana tilts the drink toward him and he hesitates.
Typically this would not be weird. Sharing a drink with a friend is not weird. His gaze shifts from Juliana's mouth to the straw with the dawning realization that he is actively in the process of making it weird.
“I'm not sick,” Juliana assures him, then reading the situation adds, “but you don't have to.”
“No! I have to!”
In his eagerness to convey that he did not think she was gross, he overcorrects and recognizes he just said something strange.
“I mean, uh, not I have to,” he takes the drink from her, “Just that, um. I don't mind. It's fine.”
He shoves the straw in his mouth before it can betray him more and Juliana laughs. It's a gentle, tinkling sound.
Putting aside the idea that he just put his mouth where her mouth was, he notes that the tea is refreshing- just the right amount of sweet and milky with a hint of fruit. Nostalgic. It tastes just like summer should.
“You're right,” he agrees, relinquishing it back to her begrudgingly, “It's good!”
The two of them share a comfortable silence. With evening drawing in, the cicada song is a soft backdrop that lulls Kieran dangerously close to dozing. He rests his eyes- ‘just resting! Really!’ when a gentle tap rouses him.
“Have the rest,” Juliana holds her drink toward him once more, “I think I'm full.”
“You sure?”
The cool drink in her hand felt like an oasis. After a day of chasing pokemon and each other across the countryside, there was no way he could turn that down.
He takes a sip, pauses, then takes one more confirming sip.
“Um, Juliana.. Did you just eat all the boba and leave me the tea?”
She smiles, a twinkle of mischievousness in her eye.
“Geez.”