Hello! This is an idea I've had in my head since…high school, probably. It also ended up not really being about dancing at all.

Historical note: At the time Code Lyoko takes place (and the time I came up with this idea), France's alcohol purchase age was 16 for beer and wine only, and 18 for everything else. It was raised to 18 across the board in 2009. Still, references to teen drinking ahoy.

Day 9: Dancing

"Yumi! Hey, Yumi!"

Yumi looked up from her book with a start, unable to make sense of what she'd just heard. It was William's voice, clear as day, as though he were in the same room with her. But he couldn't be, not unless he was standing directly behind her. There was no sign of him anywhere in the room, and why would he even try to come into her room at all -

"Over here! The window!"

"William?" Yumi stood and turned to face the window, where she found just what she'd been afraid of finding. William was clinging to the side of the nearby tree, with one arm wound around the trunk and the other waving at her. He'd positioned most of his weight on one of the lower branches, and it was swaying and bending dangerously underneath him.

"Hey," William said again, wearing a calm smile even as he was clinging for dear life. "Pretty cool how you have this tree right in front of where your room is."

Yeah, well, first thing tomorrow that branch is coming down. "William, what do you think you're doing?" Yumi hissed as she approached the window. "That tree's not going to -"

"No, I'm cool," William said, repositioning himself so as not to make the branch shake so much. He grinned. "See? Cool."

"Well, I'm not - you nearly gave me a heart attack!" She shuddered, trying not to let her emotions get away from her. "What are you doing here?"

"You know, that's a very good question." William said. "Can I come in?"

"What - no! And keep your voice down, my parents are still awake!" Yumi jerked her head back to the door. "

"I think I'll stay," William said. "So, it just occurred to me. We're both sixteen now, right?"

That was not remotely what Yumi had expected William to say. "If you say so," she said. "What about it."

"Well, have you taken any advantage of it yet?" William said. "Maybe gone out, and had some fun?"

Yumi blinked, not understanding - and then she remembered just what being sixteen might mean in that context. "I'm…not interested," she said. "And anyway, I've been busy. With things."

"Yeah. I can relate." An edge had seeped into William's voice - but it was gone by the next time he spoke. "But if you're ever interested, there's this place downtown I've heard about. We wouldn't exactly be out of place. I don't mind going alone, but if you wanted to come along…"

"Er…" Yumi didn't quite know how to respond. On the one hand, she'd never had anything to drink without her parents before, and the lure of the unknown was strong at hand. On the other, it was William she'd be doing it with. "Now?"

"Er, yeah, now. Just as friends," he added quickly. "Two friends, just splitting a bottle of wine or something and dancing. Not necessarily with each other."

Somehow that didn't sweeten the deal any. But at the same time… rejecting him out of hand didn't seem fair, and it also wasn't something she wanted to do. After everything that had happened, and all the time he'd spent in the Supercomputer, she didn't want to shut him out. But at the same time… she didn't think he was quite at the level where she could be alone with him like that. If they had a third person to go with, then fine. But all of her other friends were only just now turning fourteen or fifteen…

"Give me a week," she said. "I'll think about it. And we can see if anyone else wants to come."

For a moment, William looked surprised at her her answer. But Yumi hoped she was just seeing things, and that the smile he then gave her was genuine. "I can work with that," he said. "I'll ask around, see if anyone else is interested."

"Alright." Yumi wondered if anyone else would be. She kind of hoped so. It might be a good, normal thing for her to do. And for William to do, too.

"Great! Then this should be fun. In a week." He looked around, and then down at the ground. "I guess I should get out of here, then."

"You know how to get down, right?"

"I took those climbing lessons," William said. "I know what I'm doing."

He was motionless for all of ten seconds before Yumi sighed, and held out her arm. "Come on, I'll let you out the front door," she said. "Just…don't make any noise."

- Carth