"'Come with you?'" Matheio asked, echoing what Julian had asked.
"'Yup,'" Julian smiled, "'would you like me to take you home?'"
Mathetio's face lit up again at Julian's question, realization of what his words meant finally sinking in.
"'REALLY?!'" Matheio screamed, leaping up from the ground excitedly and hugging Julian, "'YOU'LL TAKE ME HOME?!'"
Julian looked down at the boy. He had said he was going to take him home as some way to reassure him, but now it seemed he was going to have to hold to those words. A smile crept onto his stoic face, giving in to the bright energy Matheio was releasing.
"'You bet I will,'" Julian grinned. He laughed at Matheio for a couple of seconds as Matheio jumped around, fully rejuvenated with excitement before stopping when a thought that had been picking at him finally breached through his current thoughts about Matheio.
