These were the best moments.
Jeremy glanced sideways at Aelita, his smile growing. The pink haired girl was leaning across the table as she poked Odd in the chest for one of his remarks. He responded in kind with a dramatic hand gesture, and Ulrich rolled his eyes at them both. Yumi watched with an amused smile, surveying them like
She wasn't an orphan. She wasn't a stressed teenager with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She wasn't racing to balance schoolwork, her fake identity, and saving the world.
She was Aelita Stones, normal teenager, happy with her friends.
And Jeremy was glad to see her that way. Her childhood—or lack thereof—often weighed heavily on his mind, so he wanted to give her as much of a normal life as possible.
All of it was worth it, he thought—no, knew. Those late night coding sessions, skipping classes, and even Xana was worth these small moments. Sure, Xana might attack at any moment, but he wasn't right now. These would be the treasured breaks would keep them all sane until Xana was finally defeated.
He looked around the table. Odd, Aelita, and Ulrich were in conversation but Yumi was looking at him curiously.
"You're awfully quiet. Something on your mind?" she asked.
Jeremy hesitated. Yumi was understanding and fairly intelligent; it was likely that she'd had the same thoughts he was having at least once before. He was also reluctant to lace this easy afternoon with deep thoughts and analysis.
He let a smile spread over his face. "No." He must have been smiling wider than he realized, because Yumi grinned.
"Something got you in a good mood?"
Jeremy quickly glanced at Aelita. There was a look of happiness and contentment on her face. Judging by the wink that Yumi sent him, she had noticed it too.
"Well?" she asked.
He smiled again, drinking in the look on her face and Aelita's laughter.
"Yeah," Jeremy said at last. "It has."