5. His favorite memory is of a crisp autumn morning and the smell of baking bread.
Jeremie's neck aches.
It's the first thing that wakes him, stiff with a sharp, stabbing pain. He groans quietly as his eyes flutter open. He'd fallen asleep on the super computer keyboard, cheek pressed into the keys. He sits up, rubs at the indentations, and looks around the factory.
They had spent Saturday night running drills on Lyoko, trying to uncover the way to permanently shut down X.A.N.A. Jeremie isn't sure when they had all eventually passed out in the supercomputer room, though he remembers talking with Yumi long after the other three had drifted off.
He shivers and pulls his sweater sleeves down over his fingers before rubbing at his neck. There's some pale yellow light shining through the dirty glass of the factory windows. It catches on Aelita, where she's curled up in an oversized sweater between Yumi and Ulrich. Odd is sitting up pad of paper resting against his bent knees, and pencil scratching against it.
"Morning," Odd says. He glances up briefly with a cheerful smile before he returns his attention to the paper in front of him.
"Morning," Jeremie yawns.
He stretches, wincing as stiff muscles pull, and gets up. Odd doesn't react as he picks his way across the concrete floor to stand next to him. The sketch on the paper is better than he expected, and he wonders if he's ever actually seen Odd's work. Not just his classroom doodles, but his more serious things. Odd's finished sketching out the countenances of their friends and is working on the play of weak sunlight on his subjects.
"It's good," Jeremie says. It feels inadequate, ridiculous even, to say. Odd glances up at him, smile a little more genuine.
"Thanks, Einstein." His pencil moves over Ulrich's still form, darkening the strands of his hair and highlighting the light on one of his hands. "Not that I don't like an audience, but you're kinda hovering."
"Sorry," Jeremie replies. He steps aside and then finds a relatively clean spot to sit down. He amuses himself making shadow puppets on the ground while Odd finishes his sketch.
"Few more minutes and we can wake the sleeping beauties," Odd says, sensing his thoughts. He looks up, meeting Jeremie's eyes with his normal mischievous grin. "I'm starving."
"Of course," Jeremie replies drily. But, he finds that he's smiling just the same.
/
The factory hadn't been warm, exactly, but it was noticeably warmer than the outside air. Yumi shivers and huddles in her hoodie. "I'm glad I wore boots last night," she says.
"It's definitely no longer summer," Ulrich agrees. "You okay, Ai?"
"Yup!" Aelita's pulled a knit hat from one of her pockets and the yarn pompom on top bobbles as she nods her head vigorously.
"Hurry up," Odd coaxes. He checks his phone for the umpteenth time. "Nicolette's will be opening soon and I want to beat the rush!"
"Do you ever think with anything other than your stomach?" Jeremie asks.
Odd sticks his tongue out, walking backwards down the path to town. "'Course I do," he says. He gestures with the hand not clutching his sketchbook. "But I'm hungry now."
"You're always hungry," Ulrich counters. "Duck," he adds. Odd ducks, avoiding a low hanging branch, half dead and hanging from one of the trees. Yumi gives it a tug, pulling it free and tossing it to the side of the path.
Jeremie tilts his head back, feeling the muscles in his neck protest. He inhales the crisp air, listens to the leaves crunch beneath his own boots. It reminds him of early mornings in Reims, wandering the city limits where stone ended and the patchwork of green-and-gold began. The grapes hanging heavy on the vines, so close to harvest time.
"Penny for your thoughts," Aelita says. She bumps his arm lightly with hers and smiles brightly at him. "You seem," she pauses, searches for the right word, "peaceful."
"I like autumn," he replies, shrugging.
"It is a pretty time of year," she agrees. She loops her arm through his and he sees the pompom wobble out of the corner of his eye. "Plus, it's perfectly acceptable to have hot chocolate with breakfast."
He laughs, savors the brief warmth of her pressed against his side, before she lets go and skips ahead, calling out to Odd.
/
Nicolette's is just opening when they arrive at the café. The air is sweet with the smell of baking dough and cooked sugar. Odd bounces into the shop, bells jangling with the force of the door opening. "Nicolette, my love, do I smell pan au chocolat?"
"Odd, don't be an idiot," Jeremie mutters.
The middle aged woman behind the counter looks up, laughing. She wipes flour-coated hands on her apron as they file in. "Good morning," she greets. "Your nose is as keen as ever, Odd. The first batch is nearly finished."
"Yes!" Odd does a fist pump and abbreviated happy dance in the shop. "I'll take half a dozen. For myself."
Ulrich shakes his head, grabs Odd by the arm and pulls him over to the old table in the front of the café overlooking the large picture window facing the street. They crowd into the table and Nicolette approaches them, still smiling. "You're all up early for a Sunday."
"Have to seize the day," Odd replies.
"Of course," she agrees. She tucks graying brown hair behind an ear. "Would you like anything to drink with your half a dozen pan au chocolats?"
"Hot chocolate, of course."
"Hot chocolate for me as well," Aelita chirps. She leans around Yumi and smiles brightly at the woman. "And a beignet."
The café is warm and Aelita tugs her hat off, pink hair askew, as they place their orders. Nicolette disappears into the back of the café and Ulrich settles back into his chair. "I hate to say it," he says, "but I think I'm getting too old for sleeping on factory floors."
"Aw, too delicate to rough it?" Odd teases.
Ulrich rolls his eyes and Yumi nods, rolling her shoulders. "I'm definitely stiff," she agrees.
Nicolette reappears with their drinks, setting steaming cups of hot chocolate in front of Odd and Aelita, a pot of black tea between Ulrich and Yumi, and a strong coffee in front of Jeremie. "I'll be back with your meals," she tells them.
"Thank you," Jeremie says graciously.
"I've been asked to DJ for Tania's birthday in a couple weeks," Aelita announces once it's just them again.
"That's great, Ai," Ulrich says.
"Way to go, Princess!"
"I'll take any song suggestions you have," she says. She sips from her hot chocolate, humming around the mouthful. "I don't know how I survived so long without hot chocolate."
/
Jeremie finds himself relaxing, laughing along with the others at Odd's latest outlandish story. It's one he hasn't heard before, involving one of his sisters, powdered food coloring, and a toothbrush. "I honestly didn't remember we were having family photos that day," Odd protests. He takes a bite out of his third pastry, grinning. "You could hear Adele's screams from the street."
"That's vile," Yumi says, but she's smiling. "I might have to do it with Hiroki."
"Kid'll probably think it's cool," Ulrich comments.
"Didn't she notice the food coloring beforehand?" Aelita asks.
"Powdered food coloring can be sprinkled on," Jeremie states. He slathers more butter on his baguette. "It doesn't activate until water is introduced."
"How green are we talking?" Ulrich asks.
"Wicked Witch of the West green," Odd replies. "She chased me halfway through the neighborhood," he adds.
Jeremie shakes his head, picking at his bread. "I think you deserved it," Yumi says. She's still grinning though and she refills her cup with more tea. "Green teeth."
"How long did it end up lasting?" Jeremie asks.
"On her teeth? Not too long. She just needed to brush them again. But her mouth? Two days." Odd gestures at his face. "Lips, tongue, corners of her mouth where she drooled…" He snorts, laughing as he remembers.
Jeremie shakes his head, smiling. "I'm sure it was a sight."
"Oh, I have the pictures on my laptop. I'll show you when we get back. I called her Elphaba the rest of the summer." Odd takes a sip out of Ulrich's cup, ignoring his roommate's narrowed-eye look. He clears his throat. "She dyed my wardrobe black in retaliation," he adds. "I had to get all new clothes."
"What's wrong with black?" Yumi questions.
"Not everyone can look as sophisticated as you do in it," Aelita says. She licks the tip of her finger, running it around the edge of her plate to pick up the remnants of powdered sugar. Yumi gives her a suspicious, disgruntled look.
/
Yumi still looks perturbed on the way back to Kadic and Ulrich walks alongside her, chatting quietly. Eventually she lets out a quiet laugh and Ulrich is smiling. Odd rolls his eyes and snatches Aelita's hat from her head. They dart around the sidewalk, Aelita trying to get her hat back and Odd managing to stay a step ahead of her.
Jeremie watches them, amused, and when Odd dances a little too close, reaches out and grabs the hat back.
"Et tu, Einstein?"
"Yes," Jeremie replies, straight-faced. Odd sticks his tongue out and settles into a normal walk next to him. "Here you go."
"Thank you," Aelita replies. She leans in, kissing his cheek, and he feels his face heat. She stretches her arms out, twirling in the fallen leaves, hat clutched in one hand. Ulrich watches her, bemused. "We should do something," she says.
"Like what?" Yumi asks.
"I don't know," Aelita replies. "It's barely nine o'clock and it's a beautiful day." She looks at them, green eyes bright. "It's a waste to stay locked up inside all day. Let's do something."
"Yeah, okay," Jeremie finds himself agreeing. He feels three sets of eyes on him and looks over at Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi. "What?" he asks. He pushes his glasses up his nose and shrugs. "Aelita's right."
Ulrich shrugs. "We thought you'd want to run more drills."
Jeremie hesitates, remembers how close they had gotten last night. If they went to Sector Five again… But he still tastes the rich flavor of butter, still has the aroma of fresh baguette and burned sugar in his nose. He still feels the warmth in his cheeks from smiling too much and the brush of Aelita's lips on his skin. He shrugs, slips his hands into his pockets.
"I think we've earned a day off," he says finally. "Don't you?"