Author's note: Last night I got an anonymous review on my longfic, asking for more about Luke and Aurora's relationship (which he talks about briefly with Emmy). At first I thought, the longfic is Emmy-centric so more Luke/Aurora doesn't really belong there. But I woke up with this in my head. Voila. Luke and Aurora's relationship. Please don't kill me if I hit your feels. :)

When we get back to the Bostonius, Emmy herds me and Aurora onto one of the couches.

"The professor and I are going to see if we can fly this thing. You two stay put. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

"But," I say, "you know how to fly a plane, Emmy."

"This isn't a two-seater prop plane, it's a bl—" She stops, and changes whatever she was about to say. "An airship. Bigger, clunkier, harder to fly." Emmy scowls. Then her face softens; she sighs. "Just strap in and stay safe, okay, kiddo?"

Aurora answers for me. "We will."

Emmy almost smiles. She nods and walks away.

"There is a shadow on her," Aurora observes.

I reach for the safety belt. "Of course she's upset—Descole stole our key!"

"No, I do not think it is that." Aurora pulls her knees up to her chest. She stares out the window for a long time.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

She bites her lip. I've never seen Aurora cry, but she sort of looks like she wants to. I put my hand on her shoulder.

I feel fizzy inside, when I'm this close to her. It started in San Grio a couple of weeks ago. We'd found the egg and were all having ice cream to celebrate and Aurora was laughing at one of Professor Sycamore's jokes—cor, I can't believe he pulled that on us!

Anyway, I don't know why, but I looked at her and my insides went all funny. But in a good way. I want to ask the professor about it but I'm a little bit scared to, because it doesn't make any sense.

But right now I just want to make Aurora happy again.

"I'm, um, I'm really glad you didn't jump," I say.

Aurora smiles a little bit. "Thank you." Her eyes stay sad.

"Don't worry," I blurt out. "It's gonna be okay. We'll get that key back and the professor will fix everything, all right?"

Aurora reaches up and takes my hand. "I know that you will do it if it can be done."

My stomach does a somersault. "Of course we will!"

The ship's engine rumbles and, all at once, we lurch up into the air. Aurora hasn't buckled in yet— I fling my other arm around her before she slides off the sofa.

After a few minutes we stop bouncing around so much. I let go of Aurora so she can do up her seat belt. She smiles at me, really smiles this time. "Now I have been saved by a true gentleman twice today."

My cheeks get really hot. "Oh—I—it was nothing—just what any gentleman—would have done—"

"Luke." Aurora takes both my hands in hers. "I would like to say something to you…"

I gulp. "Okay…"

"The world will change today," she says softly. "A terrible ruin may be unleashed, or it may be prevented. I was sent…to act as guardian, and no more."

Oh.

Then Aurora lets go of my right hand, and touches my cheek. "And yet…"

My breath catches.

"I was sent here," Aurora says, "with the expectation that humanity would be as it was in the end days of the Azran. That it would be selfish, and greedy. My only role was to facilitate a destruction that the Azran believed was inevitable.

"But instead… I found joy, and friendship, and… perhaps something… I would like to thank you, Luke. I feel, with you, the most human I have ever… the most free…" She pulls away. "I have said so much and still I do not know how to say what I mean."

My heart hammers. "A-Aurora?"

Aurora looks up.

I don't know what I'm going to say until I say it. "Um… can I kiss you?"

She gasps. "Kiss…?"

Oh, crikey, now I've done it! "I'm sorry! It's okay if you don't want to, I didn't mean…"

"Luke!"

I peek out from between my fingers.

Gently, Aurora pulls my hands from my face. "I… I have never done such a thing before, but… if you also have this… this wish to be closer… this longing…"

My entire face is burning, but I nod. "I… I really like you, Aurora. I never liked anybody this much before." I swallow. "It kind of scares me, but… but I want… if you want to…"

"Perhaps it is not easily expressed in words." She's still holding my hands. "Shall we?" she asks, and her voice doesn't waver.

I nod.

I'm not sure which of us leans in first. It's weird for a couple of seconds—her lips are warm, with a tiny corner of wetness between them, but mostly they feel like skin and I almost wonder why kissing is supposed to be so special until she pulls me in a bit closer and it's Aurora, I'm kissing Aurora. Her mouth opens a little bit against mine, and my stomach does another flip-flop.

We pull apart.

"Oh," Aurora breathes.

I touch my lips, right where hers were a second ago. "Yeah."

We look at each other for a moment. I feel as if someone's filled me all up with helium, like a balloon—like I could float away into the sky and never want to come down.

"Please," I say, "c-could we do that again?"

The biggest, warmest smile I've ever seen dawns on Aurora's face. "I would like that," she says.

So we do.