I can't stand it, this pairing is just too cute when done with an innocent, new to Earth Aelita. This is for the letter N in the dictionary challenge at Xana's Lair (links in my profile).
A cool wind blew across the roof of the Kadic dormitory building, swirling along the rooftop until it reached the pair standing at the railing, reaching up and tugging at their jackets and hair. Frowning, Aelita zipped her jacket shut, tucking her hands deep into her pockets as she watched Jeremy.
"Is it almost ready?" she asked him curiously. He glanced briefly over his shoulder.
"Almost," he told her. He was standing with his eye pressed to the narrow end of a device that he'd brought up to the roof with them. He'd called it a telescope, and had said that it could be used to see the stars and all of the other things in space. Aelita had been confused, pointing out that she could see the stars just fine in the inky night sky. Jeremy's response had been a chuckle, along with the promise that he would show her what he meant.
"Aelita," Jeremy called, distracting Aelita from her thoughts.
"Hmm?" she hummed, looking up. "Is it ready?"
"Not quite," Jeremy responded, his smile sounding in his voice as he slowly twisted one of the telescope's knobs. "I was just wondering, do you know what a nebula is?"
"A nebula?" Aelita repeated, tilting her head slightly.
"Mhm."
"We just studied them in class," Aelita said slowly. "They're clouds in space, made from gasses and dust and…" Aelita trailed off uncertainly.
"And plasma," Jeremy supplied. Aelita nodded, although the blonde couldn't see the action.
"That's right," she said.
"Have you ever wondered what one looks like?" Jeremy asked curiously. Aelita blinked, taken aback by the question.
"Not really," she answered. "I…I suppose they aren't very interesting. I'm not sure what plasma looks like, but I wouldn't think dust and air would look like much." Jeremy's response was to flash a smile over his shoulder, pressing his eye to the telescope once more and then pulling away.
"It's ready," he said, still smiling widely as he motioned to the telescope. "Would you like to take a look?" Aelita nodded fervently, her curiosity overriding any skepticism she had concerning the star gazing device. Stepping forward, she glanced at Jeremy, who pointed to the eye piece, still smiling. Still a little unsure, Aelita bent forward and looked through the little circle of glass. And gasped at what she saw.
It reminded her of the colored shirt Odd had worn once, tie-dyed he'd called it. It had been a swirl of all sorts of colors, and Aelita had thought it looked extremely pretty. But that paled in comparison to what she was looking at now.
"It's called a Nebula," Jeremy explained, "All gas and dust and plasma." Aelita wasn't sure that 'gas, dust, and plasma' adequately described the sight before her.
The giant cloud was a swirl of bold colors; peach orange, forest green, magenta, and a dark, brilliant blue, all coalescing into a bright white-yellow that surrounded the cloud's glowing orange core. It stood out in stark contrast the star dotted black backdrop behind it. Only the star off to the right of the cloud stood out at brightly at the nebula, haloed in a circle of white light.
"Wow Jeremy," Aelita whispered.
"I thought you might like it," the blonde responded sheepishly. Aelita turned away from the telescope to look at him, her gaze finding eyes that shone the same brilliant blue of the nebula cloud. She blinked, surprised at the similar color, and then grinned, turning to face the blonde. Jeremy only had enough time to blink back before she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.
"It's beautiful."