16. He still has to pinch himself when he realizes that they pulled it off and Aelita is here permanently.
"It's not your fault," Aelita says. She smiles at him through the screen and Jeremie wants to scream at how sincere she looks. "At least now we know it can be done."
"Yes, you're right," he agrees. The words taste bitter in his mouth.
He focuses on the coding once more, trying to parse out the different commands and find where the corruption is. Aelita launches into a rambling story about her brief stay on Earth with Yumi and her family. Jeremie lets her words wash over him, the only sound in the early morning hours while the rest of the school sleeps.
"Jeremie." Jeremie jerks slightly, annoyed that he had started to drift off, carried away by the soft cadence of her voice. "Jeremie, go to sleep."
"It's okay," he replies. "I'm alright. I'm making progress."
He turns back to the window with her face in it. She's staring at him, green eyes wide and imploring. Sometimes he's amazed at how much emotion a few pixels can create. He gives her a small smile.
"There's no use burning yourself out," she says finally. "I'll still be here tomorrow. Lyoko will still be here tomorrow. We have time."
"Right," he agrees. She's still staring at him like she doesn't believe him. He keeps himself from squirming, lets his smile widen a little. "You're right," he says, voice brighter. "I'm going to sign off, get a couple hours of sleep before breakfast. We'll talk later."
"Goodnight, Jeremie."
He closes down the chat interface before turning his attention back to the codes he had been studying. He loves listening to Aelita, loves answering all her questions, but he can get more work done without her distracting him. He only has three hours before breakfast anyway.
. . … . .
Aelita is materialized on a cold late-winter afternoon.
He thinks it's too good to be true, spends the next week waiting for the other shoe to drop – for her to get sick and need to return to Lyoko, for someone to realize the documents he spent days forging aren't as official as they appear to be. The others are too relaxed about the whole endeavor, he doesn't understand their persistent optimism.
It's two weeks after Aelita's joined them that things go belly-up, that they can no longer do Return trips without making XANA stronger.
"So much for catching a break," Odd groans. He scuffs the toe of his sneaker along the dirty snow and stares up at the sky. "For a computer program, XANA's a real bastard. Or bitch. I guess we don't know what it is, huh?"
Ulrich shakes his head and Yumi snorts. "Only you would wonder about gendering a computer virus," Yumi mutters.
Jeremie crosses his arms as he stares at his friends. It's still early and their breath forms fog clouds in the cold morning air. Aelita has been amusing herself with trying to create patterns in the fog.
"Am I the only one who is taking this seriously?" he questions. "We've depended on those Returns to keep the anonymity-"
"So we be more careful," Ulrich interrupts. He mirrors Jeremie's pose, arms crossed and leaning back slightly on his heels. "It's not like we're new to this routine, Jer."
Jeremie's mouth purses and he looks at each of their faces. "We'll have to be more careful than before. We'll have to be faster than before."
Aelita looks up, tucks her pink hair behind her ears. "I could go back," she suggests, voice soft but firm. "If it makes it easier…until we find a permanent end to XANA."
"No," Yumi interjects quickly. She wraps an arm around the younger girl and grins at her. "You belong here just as much as we do." Her eyes lift, meet Jeremie's. "We'll be careful."
"And fast," Odd adds, grinning. "Come on, Einstein, live on the edge a little. What's life without risk?"
"We've got this. Just trust us, Jer," Ulrich adds.
Jeremie looks at them, startled. "I do," he says. "I do trust you." He isn't sure why they look relieved at his words. Hasn't he trusted them all this time already?
. . … . .
Looking back, Jeremie wishes he could have slowed time down. That he didn't have to be distracted by Odd yelling taunts and obscenities at XANA's monsters, by Yumi telling them to hurry up, dammit through the communicator as she tried to distract the real-world monsters, that he wasn't concerned about Ulrich being a fraction too close to the edge of the digital sea. That he could have just focused on Aelita.
He knows that XANA had figured it out. It was why they were hit with everything in XANA's arsenal. But he wishes he could have savored the moment more, that he could have watched Aelita make her way into the tower and enter the final code.
Instead, he was mapping a new route for Yumi, yelling at Ulrich to watch his step, ordering Odd to stop goofing off, and praying that Aelita would move faster.
The computer screen goes white and Jeremie panics. Yumi's voice cuts off along with the sounds of destruction that had been a consistent background noise during her call.
"Jeremie?" Aelita asks. "Go ahead and do the Return. It's over."
Jeremie's fingers tremble as he types in the command, hesitate briefly before pressing Enter. He wonders where they'll end up.
/
"Jeremie!"
Aelita's squeal is the only warning he receives before she's suddenly there, throwing her arms around him. Her head is tilted back and she's laughing wildly, eyes nearly glowing with happiness. He could kiss her.
He flushes and glances around the courtyard. Some of the other students have paused to give them strange looks, but most ignore them.
"Yo, Einstein, we did it!" Odd exclaims. He's appeared at Jeremie's other side while he was distracted by Aelita. "Way to go!" He punches Jeremie lightly in the arm.
"Odd!" Aelita squeals. She releases Jeremie and throws her arms around Odd's neck instead. The other blonde doesn't have the same issue with shock that Jeremie had. He wraps his arm around Aelita's waist and swings her around. Jeremie swallows down the sudden burn of jealousy.
"Maybe we should move somewhere…else?" Jeremie suggests. Even the disinterested classmates have started to glance at them now.
"Sure thing," Odd replies, releasing Aelita. He slings an arm around her shoulders easily and grins at Jeremie. "We gotta celebrate. Where are Ulrich and Yumi?"
"Ooh, let's go to Nicolette's!" Aelita adds. She bounces on her toes and smiles brightly at Jeremie. "Here they come."
Jeremie turns to watch Yumi and Ulrich make their way over from the athletic fields. Aelita is still bouncing, practically vibrating with excitement. She darts out from under Odd's arm and engulfs both Yumi and Ulrich in a hug. They're too far away to hear what she's saying, but Yumi is laughing and Ulrich has a smile on his face, a hand on Aelita's shoulder.
Odd sidles up next to Jeremie, nudges him lightly in the ribcage. "Try and look excited?"
"I am excited."
"You look like you're going to a funeral."
Jeremie glowers at Odd and Odd raises his eyebrows pointedly. "I am excited. I just don't want anyone asking any questions."
"Dude, relax. We survived, we beat the computer boogeyman. Don't take this from Princess."
/
Nicolette's is surprisingly crowded, so they order pastries and drinks to go and make their way to the nearby park. It's a clear day, the sky a rich blue without any clouds. It promises to be a warm spring day, perfect for new beginnings, Jeremie thinks.
Yumi and Ulrich sit on one side of the picnic table they find, Ulrich's arm around her shoulders. Aelita is sandwiched between Jeremie and Odd. Jeremie stares at them, studies each of his friends carefully. He makes sure he's smiling each time Aelita turns her attention to him.
It's no different than any other time they've gotten together. Ulrich and Yumi are practically joined at the hip, Odd teases everyone and tries to steal their food when they aren't paying attention, and Aelita plays peacemaker, chattering away about whatever crosses her mind. But it's different, he realizes. There's a relaxed slouch to Ulrich's posture, Yumi isn't fiddling with her phone, Odd's foot tapping is more extra energy than jittery nerves. Even Aelita's smile looks different, looks permanent.
This is what winning looks like, Jeremie realizes. This is what relaxing looks like.
He smiles, pulls a stray leaf out of Aelita's hair. She glances at him, gives him a smaller, more genuine smile. He feels himself flush again and she reaches over, tangles their fingers together and squeezes. "You did it," she says softly.
He glances between their interlaced fingers to the others. They're busy arguing over some prank Odd wants to pull. Jeremie squeezes her hands back, relishing the warmth of her fingers, the chips in her orange nail polish.
"We did it," he corrects.
. . … . .
He wakes with his pajamas sticking to him, sweaty and panting. He fumbles for his glasses, pulling them on and staring at the digital numbers on the clock on his desk. Three in the morning. He sits up, scrubs a hand through his hair, and feels his heart race.
Before he can think about how ridiculous he's being, he's pulled on his bathrobe and a pair of slippers. He closes the door quietly behind him and skulks down the hallway, trying to look more awake than he feels. He stops outside of Aelita's room.
The dorms are quiet, aside from a few muffled snores and the drip of a leaky faucet in the bathrooms. Jeremie rests his forehead against Aelita's door, closes his eyes. He hears her breathing, soft and even, hears a rustle of bedclothes as she probably shifts. He lets himself listen for a few more minutes, until his heartrate has calmed and his own breathing has evened out, until he feels like an utter creep.
He shuffles his way back to his room, nightmare stuffed away in his subconscious where it belongs. He won't be able to sleep more tonight, but he feels okay enough to begin his day. Sometimes he just needs the reminder that Aelita really is here.
. . … . .
Aelita's humming a tune he isn't familiar with, hunched over her computer as she works. She looks up, catches him watching, and raises an eyebrow questioningly. Her lips curl into a smile. "What?" she asks.
"What?" he repeats. He can feel his cheeks warm under her scrutiny.
She tilts her head, gets up from the desk chair and sits next to him. "Why do you always do that?" she asks.
"Do what?" He feels out of his depth, watches as she takes his hand in hers. Her fingers trail lightly over the back of his hand. Her nail polish is a bright, citrus green today.
"Stare at me like you've never seen me before. Like you're expecting me to disappear if you look away." She lifts her eyes, watching him. He forces himself to meet her gaze.
"Sometimes I expect to wake up and find this was all a dream," he admits. He twists his hand, catches her fingers with his, presses their palms together. Aelita is still staring at him expectantly. "I can't believe it's over."
She studies him quietly, her free hand reaching up to lightly touch his jaw. Jeremie swallows. He can feel his pulse begin to race, the smell of her citrus shampoo seems stronger than a few minutes ago. His throat feels dry, his hands feel sweaty.
"Sometimes I can't believe I'm here either," she admits. Her eyes meet his again, there's a small curl to her mouth again. He can't help but kiss her.
She kisses him back, her hand sliding along his jaw until her fingers tangle into his hair. She tastes like strawberry chapstick and one of the fizzy sodas she's developed a taste for. He tugs at her hand, wraps his arm around her waist, and feels her sigh as she settles on his lap, presses against him.
She's here, he reminds himself. She's here, she's here, she's here…
. . … . .
He takes the train to Geneva the day after classes let out for the summer. The ride is just over three hours. He listens to music on his headphones, tries to work on schematics for a new robot he's creating, switches to working on the coding to bring it to life. He can't settle and finally gives up, packing away his laptop, and staring out the window at the passing scenery. The train ride is too long and too short at the same time.
He collects his bag and disembarks once he reaches his stop. The station is moderate, only eight platforms. He lets his eyes scan the crowds as he makes his way into the station proper. At the bottom of the stairs he sees her.
Aelita is standing on her toes, peering around at the people passing to-and-from the platforms. She's in jeans and a T-shirt, a plaid overshirt is tied around her waist. Her pink hair is tied back in a braid. He feels his breath catch briefly as he watches her. He feels himself relax. Somehow, even though she's been sending postcards regularly and making sporadic phone calls over the past ten months, he'd managed to half-convince himself he'd imagined her.
"Jeremie!" she exclaims, spying him.
She hurries across the concourse, throws her arms around him. He wraps his arms around her waist, ignores the looks from passersby, and buries his face in her hair. She smells like pine and oak, like something wild. He tightens his grip on her.
"I missed you," she murmurs, breath warm against his neck.
"I missed you," he echoes.
He presses a kiss to her forehead and steps back, tangles his fingers with hers. He takes in her appearance, the smattering of freckles that have broken out across her nose and cheeks from sun exposure, the way loose strands of hair curl against her face. She looks like something free. She looks like herself. He feels his shoulders relax, like he's just exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding for almost a year.
She must read it in his expression because her smile brightens until it's nearly blinding. She pulls him close again. "I'm still me," she tells him, voice firm and just as he remembers it. "We're still us."
She kisses him before he can say, I know.