A/N:
***Salute by Little Mix
After hours spent sitting hunched over and typing away at his keyboard, Jeremie's eyes are finally starting to give out for the night. He rubs his eyes with a groan and swivels in his chair to read the clock across the room. 20:47. It's a bit early for him to retire for the night, but he did just spend twelve hours straight alternating between working on the Skidbladnir and the Recalcitrance Code. Some would call that a lame way to spend a Friday evening, but Jeremie is often more than content to enjoy his own company for hours on end. Such are the perks of avoiding Friday classes in his semester schedule.
Even so, in the back of his mind, he knows that XANA's quiet resurgence is starting to take a toll on him. He can't keep doing this mostly alone. Even with Aelita's occasional help, cracking the code and rebuilding the Skidbladnir is a humongous undertaking.
His eyes flick to his cell phone as he ponders finally making the phone call he's been dreading. As much as he loathes the idea, the time has come for it to be said. He picks up the phone and hits the speed dial for Odd's number. After four rings, Odd picks up. Jeremie can hear the roar of a crowd as Odd answers.
"Hey Einstein, what's up?" Odd practically shouts into the phone.
"Odd, I need your honest opinion about something." Jeremie takes a pause, bracing himself to finally say it. "I think it's about time we added more brainpower to our group. This whole XANA thing is really starting to get me down, and it'd be crucial to have extra help. Do you think the others would kill me if I suggested bringing Herve into the group?"
"No," Odd responds immediately, without pause. "From the beginning, you've always carried a majority of the mental load about... well, everything. Ulrich and I were actually talking about this the other day. You need to lighten your load for all aspects of your health, man. Nobody would be mad at you for bringing in Herve."
"You really think so?"
"I know so. Also, I have an idea to put on your radar."
Jeremie lifts a brow even though he is alone in his room. "What kind of an idea?"
"You need more brainpower, and we need more manpower."
"Okay. Go on."
"Well, for starters, I vote to bring William back in. I know that one's a little more dicey because Ulrich and Yumi probably wouldn't agree. But also, I vote we bring in Sissi, too."
"Pfft." Jeremie rolls his eyes. "You're just saying that because she's your girlfriend. Did you forget that we tried that before?" Jeremie notices that the noise of the crowd in the background has gotten quieter. Odd must have walked away from the game to get some privacy.
"No. But that was years ago. She's different now. She's a much tougher egg to crack than before, and not one to easily spill secrets, even to me. For instance, it took two weeks of prying to find out what exactly happened between you and Aelita."
Jeremie's breath catches in his throat. Oh no. Odd is the last person on Earth I want to know about that.
"Personally," Odd continues, "once she gets acclimated to all things Lyoko with everyone's help, I think she would ultimately be a great asset. And one that people are more likely to agree to. Not to mention, bringing Sissi on makes it more likely for Herve to actually agree to join the team."
"Yeah... I guess you have a point. Okay. I'll get people's opinions on things over the weekend and we'll go from there then. You at the game?"
"Playoff game versus our worst rivals. Monod's putting up a fight, but so are we. I think we'll clinch it."
"Let me know who wins."
"Sure thing, boss. Take it easy."
"Yeah, yeah." Jeremie hangs up the phone with a sigh. As much as he wants to continue his efforts for the night, he knows Odd's right - he really should take it easy. He shuts his computer down, shuts his laptop down, closes his notebooks, and prepares to retire for the night.
For the first time in a while, Yumi feels exhilarated and excited to go out on a Friday night instead of staying home and reading manga or watching anime. Sitting on Sissi's dorm room floor putting on a killer smokey eye and sipping on boxed wine while a girl power anthem blasts out of Sissi's speaker is not a scene she could have ever predicted, but since Odd and Sissi started dating, Yumi can actually tolerate Sissi's presence.
"Yumi! I didn't know you were so good at doing makeup - you hardly wear any," Sissi says with genuine surprise.
The old Yumi would have taken offense to that statement, interpreting it as some sort of backhanded compliment intended to make her feel less than. But the more mature Yumi can tell that Sissi is just being loose with her tongue now that she's had some alcohol in her system. "Yeah, I actually watch a lot of makeup videos for fun. Mostly just eye shadow tutorials though."
"You look soooo good. Do you think Ulrich will notice?" Sissi asks as she beats some blush into her cheeks.
Yumi's eye twitches involuntarily. "He might. He might not. He's not keen on all this party stuff. How long did it take for Odd to even convince him to come to the game, again?"
"At least three hours," Sissi says with a smirk, imagining her beloved boyfriend badgering his best friend. "But I think he'll have fun. The soccer guys really know how to throw a banger."
"That's exactly the problem," Aelita chimes in with a laugh. "Ulrich is one of the most serious people I know. Well, most of the time, anyway. I really don't know if he'll actually enjoy himself tonight. Do you, Yumi?"
"Hm." She dramatically snaps her eyeshadow palette shut. "He will. But he'll refuse to show it."
"Typical," Sissi and Aelita say in unison, followed by laughter.
"Anyway, now that we're changed out of our regular clothes and look like proper party sluts, are you ready to go drive those boys of ours mad?" Sissi asks with a glint in her eye.
Yumi raises an eyebrow. "Oh, is Jeremie somehow coming too?"
Aelita chokes on the wine she's sipping from the box.
"Girl, that's old news. Haven't you heard who's got the hots for our pink-haired hottie?"
"No. Who?"
"Only the team captain, of course."
Now both of Yumi's eyebrows shoot straight up. "William?" she asks incredulously. She shoots a razor-sharp, millisecond long glare at Aelita.
Sissi continues on, completely oblivious as she applies more mascara. "Uh huh. He came along on my birthday camping trip. They've texted everyday since."
"Wow." Yumi's voice drips with disdain as she stares Aelita down. "I had no idea."
"Look, I was gearing up to tell you, okay. I knew you'd have... feelings about it. It's nothing serious right now. We haven't gone on a date or anything yet. We're just talking."
"Ah, yes," Sissi interjects dramatically. "The dreaded talking phase. Honey, I'm telling you right now, if he doesn't make a move after seeing you in that dress, he's a damn fool."
As much as it pains her, Yumi finds herself inwardly agreeing with Sissi. The skintight eggplant-colored leather dress Aelita is wearing shows just a hint of cleavage, mostly obscured by her pink tresses as they fall over her shoulders however they please. Very rarely does Aelita dress this way, instead preferring a more modest wardrobe.
Sissi's outfit is also a stunner. The leather dress she has on is a burnt sienna that laces up her sides salaciously.
Yumi looks down at her own outfit, a black leather crop top and black snakeskin-patterned pants. She feels sexy for once. And she really, really hopes Ulrich notices.
The music hums and pounds rhythmically throughout the house. William surveys his surroundings, feeling a sense of pride in himself and his team. Even though there is still a chance of encountering Monod at the championship game, Kadic was able to beat them 3-2 with thirty seconds left in the second half. In his opinion, it shouldn't have been such a close game and they could have played with better form, but that's a discussion for next practice. For now, it's time to enjoy the semi-impromptu party being thrown by some of the team members who live off-campus.
The turnout is actually pretty large and still growing. William takes a sip of his drink—the classic jungle juice in a plastic cup, brewed extra strong for tonight. He typically prefers beers over liquors, but one night of jungle juice won't kill him if he paces himself. He hopes, anyway.
"Great job tonight, Cap'n," Odd says loudly, slapping him on the back with a big smile.
"Thanks."
"Tell me about that Pelletier guy," Ulrich says after taking a swig of his beer.
William scoffs. "He's a fucking asshole. Pro recruiters are calling him the best midfielder in decades, my perfect antithesis, an all-around great player, blah blah blah. He thinks he's hot shit that can get away with whatever he wants."
"Wasn't he kicked out of his last school before Monod?" Ulrich asks, genuinely interested in conversing with William for once.
"Yup. Rumor has it he felt up a girl at a party or something. It's all super hush-hush though. That's what Roux says, anyway."
"Whoa," Ulrich breathes.
"Yeah."
"No. I mean, yeah, that's shitty, but... look." Ulrich points towards the entrance of the house.
William turns to follow his gaze and his heart nearly stops on the spot. "Holy shit."
"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Odd exclaims.
Yumi, Sissi, and Aelita walk through the door in that order.
William drags his gaze across Aelita's body from head to toe, snagging a bit at the V in her dress, and at the way the dress hugs her hips. He feels like the wind has been knocked out of him. "Holy shit," he says again, quieter this time, more to himself than anyone else.
All three girls make their way right to where people are filling their cups full of jungle juice.
William watches Aelita from across the room, silently taking her in. Especially because of everything that happened with Lyoko in the past, and with the distrust he can still feel emanating off of Ulrich and Yumi, he's been careful to take things slowly with Aelita. But seeing her tonight dressed in... that... it's doing things to him. He grips his cup a little harder.
The others have gone quiet too, Ulrich watching Yumi, and Odd shamelessly drinking Sissi in.
William continues to watch Aelita as she socializes and laughs heartily and sneaks a few furtive glances in his direction. One of her glances causes them to lock eyes for a few seconds, and William suddenly feels like a third grader with a huge crush. Luckily, right then, Bastien nudges him, hard.
"Yo, Dunbar, you'll never guess who just walked in."
"Huh?" William shakes his head, trying to get his wits about him. "Who?"
"Fucking Brandon Pelletier."
William swivels towards the door, face contorted in disgust. "What?!"
Sure enough, there Pelletier is, along with four of his teammates, all dressed in various forms of casual Monod gear.
Taking a gulp of liquid courage, William purposefully ignores Pelletier and his teammates, instead turning back to face Aelita. Sissi catches sight of him staring, squeals, and runs to pull him toward the dance floor. "William, come dance with us!"
William can't help but smile at Sissi's slurred words as she pulls him over.
"Hey." Aelita's usually soft-spoken voice somehow cuts through the music. It's the loudest William has ever heard her speak.
"Hey yourself. Having fun?"
"Yes! Congrats by the way. You were amazing out there tonight."
William feels a blush rising to his cheeks. "Thanks." He smiles, again feeling like a little kid with a gigantic crush.
Like something out of a movie, someone trips behind Aelita, bumping into her as they tumble to the ground. Aelita's drink flies out of her hand and hurtles towards William. Luckily, his quick reflexes activate—not only does he instinctively reach out and catch Aelita before she can fall over herself, his other hand flings out and catches her cup midair.
The two of them wordlessly stare at one another. William feels his heart starting to race.
***Just then, Sissi starts to pull them apart. "Lita, they're playing the song I asked for!"
Before succumbing to Sissi, Aelita gets on her tiptoes and plants the quickest of pecks on William's right cheek. Before he can even register what happened, they're pulled apart, with Aelita grabbing the cup out of his hand with a wink.
In a daze, William realizes that the girl he considers the hottest in the room just kissed him on the cheek.
A bunch of girls start to swarm the dance floor, all dancing together to the song that Sissi chose. William sits on a nearby bar stool, half socializing, half mesmerized by Aelita. When the song ends, he notices the two girls sitting on beanbags, tuckered out from scream-singing and energetic dancing.
Suddenly, he sees it. Pelletier, reaching into the pocket of his sweatshirt, pulling something out, glancing around the room, and dropping that something into an exposed cup in a girl's hand.
Aelita's cup.
In an instant, rage consumes William. He watches the smirk spread across Pelletier's features as he leans against the wall, waiting for Aelita to take her next sip. Son of a bitch. He watches as Aelita brings the cup close to her lips without looking at it, immersed in her conversation with Sissi. I have to do something.
He strides forward, nothing else mattering more than getting to Aelita and stopping her from taking that sip. He's willing to do anything. "There you are, Lita. Been looking for you." He uses Sissi's nickname for her. It's cute and sounds natural coming out of his mouth.
Aelita turns her attention to him, curiosity piqued. William snatches the cup out of her hand and hoists her out of the chair and into his arms. He brushes his lips on her forehead in the lightest of kisses, then drops his lips to her left ear. "I just watched someone drug your drink. Play along, okay?"
Without giving her a chance to respond, William wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her closer. He rests his chin on her head gently as she starts to fully play along, snaking her own arms around his waist. He can feel Pelletier staring, his gaze hot and pissed off. He dips his head down to whisper in Aelita's ear again. "That's Pelletier. Monod midfielder. Allegedly got kicked out of his last school for feeling someone up. Let's stay like this a while so he gets the message loud and clear."
To William's sheer surprise, Aelita breaks free, unwrapping her arms from his waist only to throw them around his neck while getting on her tip toes to give him a deep kiss. A few people around them start whooping.
When they finally break apart, Aelita looks him right in the eye and whispers, "How's that for loud and clear?"
Holy shit, William thinks. Holy shit holy shit holy shit.
"Ah," Brandon says, a bit of an edge to his voice. "I see. So this is your girl, then, Dunbar?"
William uses Pelletier as an excuse to break free from Aelita's embrace before his heart explodes. He turns to face him. "Yeah. What of it?"
Brandon's eyes slowly, deliberately snake their way up and down Aelita's body. He crosses his arms smugly. "She sure looks like she knows how to have a good time. Wonder if she's as wild in bed as she is on the dance floor."
Brandon's words feel to William like a gut punch. His jaw tightens, clamping down before he can move his tongue out of the way. The taste of blood fills his mouth, feeding the angry fire flickering in his eyes. He clenches his fists, gearing up to get in Brandon's face and wipe that stupid fucking smirk off of it with a hefty left hook. Just as he rears back, before he can fully let it rip out of him and into Brandon's jaw, Ulrich is there in front of him, jabbing his right palm into the crook of his left arm and pushing him off-balance with his other arm.
"Easy, man," Ulrich urges in a hushed but firm tone. "It's not worth it. Don't give him the satisfaction."
William's pulse is racing, his chest heaving as he takes deep, angry breaths of fury. He takes a quick glance at Aelita. He notices her eyes are widened, but not in fear of him... more like in surprised admiration. He takes a deep breath, nostrils flaring as he regains his composure and quells his anger. Wordlessly, he turns away from Brandon, taking Aelita's hand in his own, leading her away from the confrontation and out the front door to cool off in the chilly autumn breeze.
Ulrich watches William lead Aelita outside. He turns back to face Brandon, who is still smirking.
"What's the matter, Stern? You jealous?"
"Of you? Hardly. You're a piece of shit, Pelletier. You're lucky I stopped him. He would have wiped the floor with you."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to have a good time. See ya."
As Brandon walks away, Ulrich can't help but wonder if he's telling the truth.
William and Aelita sit side-by-side on the stairs of the Hermitage, the cold concrete seeping through their clothes.
"Thank you," Aelita says softly. "You didn't have to go out of your way to bring me home, you know."
"I wanted to," William says with a shrug.
An awkward silence passes between them for a couple of minutes.
"So, uh, what's the deal with you and Belpois?" William asks, breaking the silence.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you guys are a thing, aren't you?"
Aelita shifts her gaze to his. "Not anymore. We were, but not anymore."
"Why not?"
"It's a long story."
"Hm." William crosses his arms over his chest.
Aelita raises a brow. "What?"
"Nothing. I just think that's a shame. You're a great girl. Whatever happened, he made a mistake letting you go."
Aelita feels a blush creeping to her cheeks. "Thank you."
"I mean it."
"I know."
Another silence passes between them.
"So, why'd you kiss me back there?" William asks, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Why'd you save me from getting roofied?"
"Because I care about you."
"Exactly."
William's heart skips a beat. "Oh."
"Yeah."
"Well, I'm glad you're safe. That Pelletier guy is a real douchebag."
"Yeah, I can tell. Thank you, again."
"Anytime."
Another, shorter silence.
"You know," Aelita starts, a bashful smile making its way onto her lips, "I'm really glad Sissi convinced me to invite you to the camping trip. I had a lot of fun. I'm glad we're getting to know each other better."
"Me too."
"And I'm sorry if I'm keeping you from the party."
"Trust me, you're not keeping me from anything. Pelletier kinda ruined it for me the second he walked in, anyway." William locks eyes with her as he speaks. "And besides, being here with you is way better."
Aelita feels her heart rate pick up. "Really?"
"Yeah, really," William says with a chuckle.
Aelita scoots closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad," she murmurs.
William feels his heart start to race. When he looks down at her, he notices her eyes are closed. He smiles to himself. How did I get so lucky?