#codesecretsanta

Happy @codesecretsanta to @scyphosunny!! I was your secret santa! I was so thrilled when I found out, I absolutely love your art and so glad I could make my first jerlita art post for you!

This is my Code Secret Santa for @a-queenoffairys!!! I was so excited to get you and get to do your rarepair! "Hey! Aelita, right?"

Aelita turned to look at the green haired girl running up to her. A twinge of guilt set in her stomach -she’d been trying for the opening spot as well, and Aelita couldn’t help feeling bad about taking the spot- but the girl was grinning widely.

“You were just…awesome in there! I cannot wait to see you on stage at the concert!” She laughed and handed Aelita a slip of paper. “And if you ever want to just get together and jam, you have a really great energy and style, and I would love to just hang out with you! I’m Lise, by the way! No pressure if you don’t want to, I just figured I’d offer.”

Aelita lit up as she realized the paper in her hand was a phone number, and she nodded with a smile. “That sounds like fun! I have to go meet my friends for lunch, but I’ll text you!”

“Cool! I gotta go too, or my mom is gonna kill me! I’ll talk to you soon?” Lise started to turn away, and when Aeilta nodded, she grinned. She ran off with a wave, and Aelita waved back with a smile. As she walked back to Kadic, she punched the number into her phone, sending a short text once the contact number was saved.

Hi, Lise! It’s Aelita! :D

Aelita had barely gone a block when she got a text in response.

Cool! Saving your number! Free Tuesday?

Aelita hummed to herself as she texted back and hummed as she made her way to the table her friends sat at. She slipped her phone into her pocket and smiled widely. “You’re looking at the opening act for the Subdigitals concert!”

As her friends cheered, Aelita smiled and sat at the table, lacing her fingers and resting her chin on her hands. “And I made a new friend! She was one of the other finalists, and after the finals, she ran up to me and asked if I wanted to hang out sometime! We’re going to hang out after classes on Tuesday”

“That’s great, Princess!” Odd grinned. “Maybe you two can collab on some things and make some really awesome tracks!”

Aelita nodded and grinned. “I’m going to work on some new samples to show her. She was really good, and honestly I was a little surprised they picked me instead. But she was really happy for me. She said I had ‘a really great energy and style’ and that was one of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten.”

Her friends all congratulated her again before she got up to get her food, and she smiled as she checked the last text from Lise.

I am so excited to hang out with you!

-----

Aelita hummed to herself as she looked for the address Lise had texted her. She smiled when she saw a familiar head of green hair and carefully jogged to meet her. She had her mixing table with her, and a few disks to work with, so she was not taking any chances with her equipment. Lise grinned and held her hands out towards Aelita.

“Here, let me help carry your things in,” Lise smiled as she took the table gently. “My older brother is home, but he promised he’d leave us alone. Any siblings?”

“No, I’m an only child,” Aelita smiled as she followed Lise inside. “I go to school with my cousin Odd, though.”

“Oh cool! That sounds awesome,” Lise hummed. Before they made it to the stairs, they were stopped by an older boy who had a mischievous grin on his face. It reminded Aelita of Odd a little too much for comfort. That was a scheming smile.

“Hey, Lise! This that girl you were talking about so much, Aelita?” His focus was solely on his sister, and Aelita was grateful not to be the center of his attention like that.

Lise flushed and glared. “Jonas, get out of the way! Yes, this is Aelita! You promised you’d leave us alone!”

Aelita couldn’t miss the hint of pleading in Lise’s voice, and decided to file that away for later. Jonas shrugged and moved from in front of the stairs with a deep, playful bow. Aelita smiled as she passed him behind Lise.

“It was nice to meet you, Jonas!”

“Oh, believe me, the pleasure is all mine,” Jonas smirked.

“Ignore him, he’s weird,” Lise rolled her eyes as she led Aelita to her bedroom. “I have all my stuff set up if you want to get ready.”

Aelita nodded and hummed as she set her disks down and set up her table. “So I’ve been working on some good sounds, I think! I wanted to get your thoughts and thought maybe you could do something to match? I thought it might be fun to do a collab!”

“That sounds awesome!” Lise smiled and waited for Aelita to start spinning. It was an upbeat, techno sound, and Lise nodded along for a bit until she placed disks in her own mixing table and started mixing them alongside Aelita’s. Lise’s beat was a deep bass, heavy on the percussion, and Aelita grinned as they changed things minutely to match up with each other. They each would experiment with a new mix one at a time until  they both started to record with their machines.

They tried a few other combinations with other disks, and both jumped out of their skin when there was a knock on the door as it cracked open.

“Mom said that she made enough food for Aelita, since it’s been a few hours!” Jonas chuckled as both girls looked at their phones and jumped.

“I just have to text my friends to let them know,” Aelita smiled and sent the text before coming downstairs with Lise. She had a wonderful dinner with Lise and her brother and mom, and afterwards, Lise smiled and picked up Aelita’s mixing table.

“Let me walk you back to your school!” She grinned and held the door open.

“I would love that,” Aelita smiled as she tucked her hair behind her ear, flushing.

They walked to the school in mostly silence, and once they were in front of the gates, Lise bit her lip.

“Would you want to go to the movies on Saturday? With me? Like…as a date?”

Aelita’s eyes widened and she flushed bright pink, nodding as a smile grew on her face. “I think I’d really like that. See you Saturday?”

hi @cosmicpines I was your gifter for @codesecretsanta!!! I hope you enjoy!

It seemed like a great idea, bringing Aelita into the real world and enrolling her at their school. It wasn’t like they didn’t have time to plan things out— to make sure her transition was as smooth as possible— because they had plenty of time to do so. Whether or not that time was spent agonizing over details that were practically meaningless until confronted later. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there was their daily motto for almost an entire year. 

So they weren’t exactly thinking it all the way through when they created Aelita’s new identity. At a glance, it was watertight. No one would dare to look too deep into anyone associated with the de la Robbias. Looking at Odd’s records was an absolute mess, so why even bother with Aelita’s? 

It was a quick way to get her in the door and out of deep scrutiny, but that in and of itself presented problems. Like right now. It was a month before winter break and each warrior’s family was making plans to bring their children home for the holidays. Except Aelita. 

As it stood, there were only two viable options; someone had to take Aelita home with them (which would be the markedly tougher option), or someone would have to stay behind with her. Despite being somewhat acclimated to Earth, she was still wobbling on fawn-like legs during social situations. Or most situations, granted she was unsupervised. 

Which was what brought everyone together on a crisp afternoon in early November, piled into Jérémie’s room and in deep discussion.

“I hate to say it, but I can’t stay,” Jérémie sighed. “My parents have already booked a flight for me. They thought having a tropical Christmas would be a good idea for some reason.” 

To add insult to injury, he sounded truly apologetic. 

“I’ll be around the corner, but granted I don’t stay at the dorms anyway, my parents definitely won’t take well to me “sneaking off” during family time,” Yumi grimaced, making sure her displeasure over the last few words was clear. 

If the rest of the conversation went as positively as this first two minutes had, they were all screwed. The only two people that remained were Odd and Ulrich— the two people most likely to want to stay at Kadic through the break. 

Odd snorted. “My parents won’t even notice if I’m here or there, but they did book train tickets. If I never showed, they wouldn’t care. So, what say you, good buddy? Am I staying behind or have you already worked it out?” 

Every eye fell on Ulrich in anticipation. 

“I’m staying,” he said simply. 

He was met with several sighs of relief, and one disappointed Odd. “You’re really gonna make me go?” He pouted, though it sounded more like a demand. 

“Yeah, otherwise Jim will get suspicious of too many of us staying behind. Besides, you’ll be able to let Kiwi play in the snow without worrying about getting caught.” 

The resulting whine from the blonde was a cross between exasperation and resignation, and Ulrich had never heard a sound so sweet. Aelita decided she’d make presence known at that point, carefully patting the blonde on the back as he grumbled. “Well, what do you even do over a break? Especially the winter one?” She asked. 

Ulrich shrugged. “Winter stuff.” 

The topic was dropped. 

The first day of the winter break was reserved exclusively for seeing the gang off. Most kids were heading home, though a teeny-tiny minority stayed behind. Ulrich and Aelita were now a part of that minority. 

By the time everyone had left the school, and the halls no longer buzzed with sound, dinner was ending and it was almost curfew. Aelita and Ulrich had spaghetti and meatballs together— much to Odd’s vocal displeasure when he saw it on that evening’s menu— and parted once they reached the dorms. 

“What will we be doing tomorrow?” Aelita asked. 

Ever the over-communicator, Ulrich glanced out the window at the blanket of snow that never seemed to stop growing. “I’ll introduce you to normal winter stuff. Dress warm, we’ll be outside,” he said before waving. “Good night.” 

The next morning found Ulrich walking Aelita through the woods. They wound through thickets and tall snow banks, truly getting to experience what winter had to offer. It was a quiet walk (though, at this point, it was more of a hike than a walk). As they approached the tree line, Aelita’s emerald eyes caught sight of the factory from between the bare trunks. 

“The factory?” She blinked, like it was the last place she’d expect to see. “Why are we here?”

“We’re not here for the factory,” Ulrich started. The duo broke through the edge of the forest and basked in the midday sun. It was then that Aelita noticed that the water that acted like a moat was frozen. 

“We’re here for the lake.” 

Suffice to say, without ice skates, music, and other skaters, the duo were nothing but inelegant. Ulrich taught Aelita how to slide about on the ice, how to skid into something resembling a stop, and getting her to glide backwards. Eventually their ice skating devolved into races around the factory, and to hockey— which they played with two tree branches and a pine cone. 

By the time they started heading back to the school, the sky was dimming. Aelita’s cheeks were cherry red and her breath was coming in short puffs of exhaustion, but the grin on her lips was the most genuine thing. Ulrich even found his own lips tilting upward at the sound of her elated laughter. 

“Oh, that was wonderful, Ulrich!” She beamed, bouncing to and fro through the snow banks. “Can we do this again tomorrow?”

He fought off a chuckle. “Sure. I can show you the other stuff later.” 

Though her curiosity was piqued, she didn’t inquire further about the “other stuff”. Ulrich was coming to realize that she liked surprises. 

Aelita hummed happily the entire walk back to Kadic. The thought made Ulrich warm. When they stumbled back indoors, the fiery sensation of needles on bare skin told the duo they’d been out a bit too long. The back of Ulrich’s thighs were on fire, and Aelita’s fingers cried out in pain. 

She was wincing and nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot when Ulrich pulled her out of her head. 

“There’s only one cure to freezer burn,” he started leading her to the cafeteria, though dinner wasn’t going to be served for hours. “C’mon, I’ll show you how to make it.” 

When they made it into the cafeteria, Ulrich made straight for the kitchen doors, which gave Aelita pause. Students weren’t allowed in the kitchen on a good day— what made Ulrich think trying to get in there over winter break would be a better idea? Even then, one of the lunch ladies was probably in there starting on dinner. They’d be caught in no time, so what was Ulrich planning? 

“You coming, Princess?” 

Aelita had been so deep in thought that she’d completely stopped walking, and was staring intently at Ulrich’s relaxed form. 

“Are you sure that—“

“We’ll be fine. Trust me.” 

With Ulrich acting as cocksure and confident as Odd, Aelita could do nothing more than follow behind him and hope for the best. The moment the door swished shut behind her, Ulrich was greeting Glenda with a nod before heading to the opposite side of the kitchen. He flitted in and out of cupboards and pantry doors before placing a shallow pot on the stove. 

He was still gathering things here and there when Aelita asked, “Why aren’t we getting in trouble?”

Ulrich placed two mugs side by side on the counter. “Odd and I have had our fair share of early mornings and late evenings. Glenda’s always the first one in and the last to leave. Let’s just say, she’s fine with us being here so long as the other students don’t know and we pick up after ourselves.”

Aelita didn’t know why she was so surprised by that fact. Of course, every warrior had their fair share of trauma from Xana. If Odd and Ulrich suffered from nightmares or insomnia, Aelita was no one to judge. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she watched as Ulrich melted a good amount of chocolate in the pot before mixing in some milk. He stirred it lightly for a few minutes more before splitting the contents of the pan between the two mugs. He added a tad extra milk to each one before passing the pinkette a plastic spoon. 

Ulrich tilted his mug in her direction, as if to toast. “To winter break?” He asked. 

“To winter break,” she replied. 

Their cups clinked together, and the second day of winter break came to a close. 

“Since when did you know how to cook?” Aelita asked later that evening. “I didn’t take you as one to— not to offend— be knowledgeable about it.”

Ulrich chuckled lightly. “I’m a terrible cook, I just know how to make hot chocolate. My mother taught me when I was younger. Every year we’d play hockey in brook behind the house, and when we came back we’d make hot chocolate to warm us up.”

Ulrich hasn’t said that many words directly to Aelita for almost as long as they’ve known each other. 

Aelita smiles tentatively. “That’s… really nice.”

Ulrich hums warmly before waving good night to the girl. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early,” he says. 

And Aelita can’t stymie the excited laugh that bubbles up from within. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” 

Even as they walk their separate ways, Aelita likes to think she sees a ghost of a smile on his lips in the reflection on the windows. 

By the time winter break is over, Aelita has been officially inducted into the exclusive group of students given kitchen rights. Four days after starting classes once again, Aelita finds herself standing in the kitchen at half past the witching hour, wondering why her world weary body brought her here. When Glenda sees the girl half asleep in her cup of cocoa, she simply gives the girl a nudge and pushes her out. “Wait! I didn’t get to do the dishes!” She tries to argue. 

“Get some sleep before classes start, and I might forgive ‘ya,” Glenda tuts, and Aelita knows that the lunch lady has won this round. 

When Aelita curls up in her bed, anxieties and nightmares long forgotten, she takes in the lingering scene of hot chocolate in the air and thinks about Ulrich and the week of shrieking laughter and restrained joy they shared. 

Aelita sleeps through the first three classes and shuffles down for lunch looking like death warmed over, but Glenda serves her the best part of the lasagna with a knowing look, and the young girl dines with her friends. 

She feels more like a living, breathing human at that moment than during any other. 

To her, the most human emotion isn’t rage or something as simple as love, she thinks it’s the gleeful innocence of playing in the snow on a cold day, and the creature comfort that is fuzzy socks and diamond snow. 

She no longer feels in binary and thinks in CSS. 

Written for @codesecretsanta 2020!!

Hey, @nemesisadraste!! It’s me, your secret santa!! I heard you wanted a slice of samodd so I was ofc 100000% down to clown. Hope you enjoy!!!! It’s a little group chat heavy and I apologise, but there’s some actual prose around the halfway point haha

Can also be read here on AO3!: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28323549

ngl I would actually recommend reading it on ao3 because of formatting hahaha but anyway enjoy!!

Pinch Hitter

DIRECT MESSAGE: Odd Della Robbia

(11:43PM) Odd Della Robbia: SAMMMMMM

(11:45PM) Sam Suarez: yyyyea?

(11:45PM) Odd Della Robbia: XANA ATTACK. NUCLEAR SHIT. COVER FOR US PLSSSS SHOULDNT BE TOO LONG 🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀🙀

(11:46PM) Sam Suarez: sure thing sure thing go save the world n shit 👍👍

(11:46PM) Sam Suarez: was only going to stay up late rewatching good omens anyway

(11:47PM) Odd Della Robbia: hero. incredible woman. love of my life

(11:47PM) Odd Della Robbia: and say hi to you know who for meeeee 😻

(11:48PM) Sam Suarez: crowley is a fictional character odd, he cant hear you

(11:48PM) Odd Della Robbia: but he's so sexy and strong 😻😻😻

(11:48PM) Odd Della Robbia: not as sexy and strong as you, ofc ofc

(11:49PM) Sam Suarez: jesus odd go save the world already and leave me alone

(11:49PM) Odd Della Robbia: SO COLDDDD 🙀🙀🙀

(11:49PM) Odd Della Robbia: still love you tho

(11:49PM) Sam Suarez: still love you too ok NOW GO

Ulrich sat up in bed with a start, red eyes still burned into his vision as he looked around the room. His eyes landed on his sleeping roommate, snoring as loud as ever, and he was able to take a few deep breaths to calm himself. He hesitated before he stood up and crossed the room to gently shake Odd awake.

Odd was awake in a heartbeat, ready to jump up.

"What's wrong? Is it Xana?"

"No no, sorry I just...I had a nightmare." Ulrich crossed his arms and stood back.

Odd immediately looked worried and actually did jump up. "Do you wanna talk about it or go for a walk?"

Ulrich let out a deep breath and smiled sheepishly. "A walk would be good. Thanks."

Odd slipped on his shoes and sighed as he peeked his head out into the hallway. "The coast is clear. Jim must be asleep by now."

Ulrich pulled on his own shoes as Odd waited patiently.

Silently, the two boys crept outside and into the woods. Ulrich comforted himself with Odd's presence beside him and eventually they came to a stop in a little clearing. Ulrich sighed and sat underneath a tree. Odd took a seat next to him and closed his eyes.

The silence between them was comfortable and easy, and Odd was about to drift back to sleep when Ulrich spoke.

"You were possessed. I tried everything to get you to remember yourself but nothing worked. And then we fought. You were trying to kill me."

Odd took Ulrich's hand and squeezed it gently. "Not gonna happen. Even if I did get possessed, you could snap me out of it. You're my good buddy!"

Ulrich laughed softly and turned his head to quietly wipe his eyes on the back of his free wrist. "I don't think it's that easy, Odd."

"Sure it is," Odd threw an arm around Ulrich's shoulders and smiled. "For you at least. C'mon, it's starting to get cold and you're in a tank top. Let's get back to the school."

"Okay," Ulrich waited for Odd to stand and took the offered help getting to his feet. They walked back to the school silently and snuck back into their room without a problem.

Odd waited until he heard Ulrich's breathing even and slow before drifting off to sleep himself.

-----

"Odd! Odd!!!"

Odd's eyes snapped open and he saw Ulrich, looking concerned, and realized there were tears streaming down his cheeks. The moment it really registered who was sitting in front of him, he threw his arms around Ulrich's neck and held him tight.

Ulrich froze at the touch at first, but hugged Odd back just as tightly as Odd pressed his face into Ulrich's shoulder and sobbed quietly into it. Ulrich rubbed his back gently and just held him until Odd was leaning back with a sniffle.

"I had a nightmare you fell into the digital sea. You… You took a hit from a Blok for me and lost your balance and fell. I tried getting to you on the Overboard, but I just missed you."

Ulrich didn't hesitate to grab a tissue box and held it for Odd as Odd took several tissues to blot his eyes with.

"Hey, you're not getting rid of me that easily," Ulrich rubbed his back again and smiled softly. "Besides, I know that if it came down to that, you'd shoot me with laser arrows before I was virtualized forever."

Odd's lip quirked up in a sad smile. "Yeah, I could always do that."

Ulrich put an arm around Odd carefully, not as accustomed to giving easy affection the way Odd himself was. But when Odd curled into his side and Kiwi curled up in both their laps, Ulrich smiled and just leaned in a little closer.

They feel asleep like that and woke the next morning stiff from sitting up, but Odd hugged Ulrich tight and it was worth it.

-----

They each had several more nightmares in the following months, but they got to a point where one would wake when the other started tossing and turning, so the awake one was able to wake the one having a nightmare before it got too serious.

Then they were creeping past Jeremie's room on the way back from the vending machines, and they heard him crying within.

A secret knock later, and he was opening the door, trying to dry his face, despite the redness in his cheeks and eyes betraying his tears.

They gave him some snacks and a drink, and after a little good natured wheedling, Jeremie's lip quivered as he retold the events that upset him so.

"I lost you. All of you. Something happened on lyoko that I caused and I don't know how but you all were devirtualized, but… None of you came out of the scanners. And it was all my fault. I don't even remember what I did to make it my fault, but it was my fault!”

Odd and Ulrich comforted Jeremie and left him with more snacks before smashing back to their room and bringing back pillows and blankets. Soon Odd had made a nest in the middle of the floor and Ulrich had texted Yumi and Aelita, who arrived in no time with more pillows and blankets.

Jeremie calmed more as both of them arrived, and Odd smiled as he put on a movie.

"We're all nightmare buddies, I figured we could all use a good night's sleep in a cuddle puddle to remind us all that we all are here and safe and okay."

The five of them settled into the nest sleepily and turned their attention to the movie Odd had picked from Jeremie's movie list. What looked to be a biopic on rock stars actually turned out to be a beginners foray into geology.

The gang was asleep in minutes.

-----

The next morning, the girls managed to wake before anyone else on that floor and made their mad escape. The boys were still sleeping by the time Jim started doing rounds.

He started to yell at the boys for not staying in their own room, but when he saw how morose Jeremie was, he bit the inside of his cheek and sighed, letting them off with a warning "this time".

Secret Santa for septicabzies for @codesecretsanta !!!! I saw you had ocs and I love writing ocs! I hope I did them justice! I wanted to get a few slice of life vignettes to get a few different interactions out! I hope you like it!

-----

“Why did I room those two together?” The headmistress whispered under her breath as two boys were led into the office. She smiled tersely and sighed. “Rafael, Antonio. What brings you in today?”

Antonio’s lips quirked up in a smile, despite his trying to avoid it. “Absolutely nothing, Miss Delmas. We were just minding our own business!”

“With backpacks full of homemade stink bombs,” Elisabeth Delmas raised an eyebrow and both boys hung their heads as she sighed. “Where were you planning on putting them?”

Both were silent for a long minute, and Sissi crossed her arms. “I’m waiting. You’re not leaving this office until you tell me where you were going to let off these stink bombs.”

Raphael sighed and lifted his head. “The second-floor boys’ bathroom. We were going to set them off above the ceiling at different times so no one could figure out where they were coming from or when they’d go off…”

“Thank you for being honest, Raphael,” Sissi smiled softly and nodded. “But your behavior still needs to be addressed. Both your parents will be receiving a call, and you have detention for three days. You’re dismissed.”

Antonio and Raphael quickly stood and took their now empty backpacks from the teacher that had brought them down. They headed for the dorms, and before Antonio could ask, Raphael slipped one singular stink bomb out of the pocket of his cargo pants and handed it to Antonio.

“Don’t ask questions, now we can get back at Geoff and Hanson for pouring spoiled milk on our carpet.”

Antonio cradled the last stink bomb and laughed. “You didn’t tell her that was the plan?”

Raphael made a face. “Of course not, didn’t you know? Their dads were like her best friends when our parents were in school. She wouldn’t take their side, but she’d have come down harder on us for not coming to her first.”

-----

“Carry the one, move that there, move that to the other side, simplify, and I should have… Tristan, can you look at this problem? I think I did it right, but I want someone smarter than me to double check before I commit to the answer.” Daniel looked up from his homework and slid the paper towards his roommate, who took it quickly.

Tristan’s eyes scanned the page quickly, and he smiled as he handed it back. “Looks perfect, Daniel. You’re really coming along with this, and soon you won’t even need me to look over your homework.”

“You really think so?” Daniel took the paper back with a smile.

“Yeah,” Tristan turned back to his laptop and let his fingers fly over the keys. “You’re smarter than you give yourself credit for.”

Daniel beamed and turned back to his homework with a hum. “I think that’s one of the nicest things anyone’s said to me in a while.”

“Well, you deserve it, and don’t let anyone or any subject make you think otherwise,” Tristan leaned into his computer. “A little work, and you could probably test into honors math for next year.”

Daniel smiled wider as he wrote out the next equation to solve. “Hey, do you mind if I put on some music to study to? It always helps me think.”

“Sure thing, I’ll probably tune it out, but that’s fine.”

-----

“Where did you manage to find scented nail polish? I thought no one sold it anymore,” Kimiko chuckled as she dipped the brush back into the literally bubblegum pink liquid. She pulled it back out, let the excess drip back into the bottle and gently brushed it onto Maya’s finger.

“The corner store had a few bottles of a few different scents! They had a black grape that I picked up for you if you want me to do yours next!” Maya grinned widely and watched as the pink spread and shimmered in the fluorescent lighting. “I love the shade! It’s so pretty!”

“It is really nice, and it’ll look better after a second coat,” Kimiko agreed before leaning in with a conspiratorial grin. “I’m sure Antonio will love it.”

Maya flushed and looked away with a yelp as Kimiko laughed.

“I’m sorry, I’m just teasing you,” Kimiko smiled. “Just a little joking between roommates, you know?”

“Yeah,” Maya sighed. “I guess I’m just not used to feeling so… silly when a boy walks by. Have you ever gotten that feeling?”

Kimiko shrugged. “A couple times, but I never let it bother me too much. Crushes come and go, but it’s not like my brother lets them anywhere near me anyway.”

“A tad overprotective?” Maya laughed

“That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.” Kimiko laughed as well.

Maya looked at her finished hand as Kimiko started on her other hand. “Thank you for helping me with my nails. It’s something my mom and I always do together, and it never looks right when I do it by myself.”

“No problem, Maya,” Kimiko smiled. “You said you want to do mine when yours are dry?”

Maya grinned and nodded eagerly. “I would love to.”

-----

“Are you reading the Crimson Runes series?!” Daniel’s eyes lit up when he saw the book in Raphael’s hands. “I love the Crimson Runes!”

“Oh my god, don’t get him started, he won’t shut up about it,” Kimiko groaned. “It’s the only book he likes, but he’s obsessed.”

“I’m rereading it for an essay on a work of fiction that means a lot to me in English class,” Raphael slid into the empty seat across from Daniel. “I got the first book a few years ago with a gift card for my birthday and I couldn’t put it down! Read it in two days!”

“I have a signed copy of the first book,” Daniel smirked. “My dad took me to a comic con a few years ago because I saw he was on the guest list and I begged him to go to get my copy signed.”

“That is so cool!” Raphael put a napkin in his book to hold his place as he set his notebook aside, marked with pages and quotations. “I tried to go to that con, but we had a family thing we had to go to.”

“Bummer,” Daniel shook his head. “Maybe if he ever does a con again, you and I can go together and get your copy signed!”

Raphael smiled and nodded. “That’d be cool.”

-----

“Skateboards aren’t so hard once you get used to them, Maya,” Antonio smiled as he held the board out to his classmate. She looked warily at the plank of wood and took it hesitantly.

“Do I have to do this?”

“Of course not! Only if you want to!” Antonio held his hand back out to take the board back, but Maya held it to her chest.

“No, I want to try! But…I don’t have to try any ramps today, do I?”

“Nope! We can do all flat concrete today if you want,” Antonio smiled and reached to check her helmet, making sure it was on securely. “Ready, Miss Belpois?”

“No, but I want to be,” Maya set the board on the ground, and carefully went to stand on it. Antonio let her balance herself on his arms, and held her steady as she got her bearings.

“You’re doing great, Maya!” Antonio smiled and bit the inside of his lip. “Tell you what. You stay on the board, I’ll walk you forward a little, you focus on balancing while it’s moving, okay?”

Maya nodded, and Antonio started to walk, holding Maya’s arms carefully so she didn’t fall. As she found her center, she giggled and stood a little taller, making ANtonio grin.

“That a girl! You’ll be riding like a pro in no time!”

-----

Jeremie smiled at the letter from his daughter.

“Aelita! Maya sent a picture she took with the camera we got her for Christmas last year!”

Aelita came up behind Jeremie and kissed the side of his head as she looked at the picture. She saw the kids gathered around their two, and her eyes softened when she saw all the familiar features in the other children.

“They look…alive. Happy.”

“I think sending them to Kadic was the best decision we could have made,” Jeremie put his hands on hers and kissed her cheek softly. “Should we tell them they can invite their friends over sometime soon? I want to meet the kids they’re spending all their time with.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Aelita kissed his nose and sighed. “I miss them.”