“Are you going home already?”

Acatl blinked, half-turning to glance back at Teomitl. A late dinner at Neutemoc’s house had finally wound down, and he was sort of looking forward to his own bed. He wasn’t sure how well he’d sleep after having eaten so much, but....well, he never slept very well anyway. “I was planning on it, yes. Why?”

Teomitl’s quick smile held a spark of sunlight in it. “I’ll walk you back. It’s a nice night; we could take our time.”

On one hand, he had been anticipating an early night, and he knew Teomitl could walk for hours before showing he was tired. On the other hand...he thought of the joy in Teomitl’s face when he wandered the streets of their city, how he delighted in finding new things everywhere he went. And the boy was right; it was a nice night. Maybe it would even help him digest.

So he found himself smiling back. “Alright.”

They did indeed take their time. And if the night breeze chilled them so that they wound up walking a little closer than they had been, well. Acatl wasn’t complaining.