"Really! What's your favorite?"

"Shrek, of course."

"Shrek is a very nice Dreamworks movie. Though if we're ranking Dreamworks movies I have to go with How to Train Your Dragon and Prince of Egypt first."

He manages to maintain a straight face for ten seconds before he bursts out laughing.

She smiles. Normally she would worry that someone else was laughing at her for knowing this, but Lev seems like he's probably totally incapable of mocking people for knowing things about good fiction.

"My favorite for Pixar is Wall-E."

"Sorry, I knew that, I was-- it was a joke, I guess it wasn't very funny? My favorite movie is Inside Out but my favorite ten minutes of Pixar is the opening scene of Up."

"No, it was good! I just never know when people don't know things and when things are stealth geek credentials tests. Shrek is a good movie, though, sequelitis notwithstanding. I will fight you on this. It admittedly does not reach the heights of the first ten minutes of Up at any point, but then what does, really."

"Shrek is totally fun! Unfortunately, it caused DreamWorks to become... DreamWorks... so I'm not sure that it's worth it."

"DreamWorks has produced - ok, so they only have three-maybe-four actually good post-Shrek movies, but I think they fulfill an important role in the animated movie ecosystem. Someone has to serve as a cautionary to Disney, lest they ever be tempted to trade in their natural earnestness and sense of wonder for over-reliance on bathroom humor aimed at eight-year-old boys. ...I have actually also not seen the end of Up."

"The end of Up is less good than the beginning of Up, unfortunately, but it's still really good. --Did the kids interrupt you?"

"No! ...Yes. It was a church movie night and Zana ate too much ice cream and threw up and we had to take her home. But anyone could have made that mistake with three years of life experience, really."

- Oh no is he going to think she's a bad guardian for missing how much junk food Zana was eating this one time like a year ago. Probably it's fine. Probably.

"Yes. Three years of life experience. Or twenty-three. Not of course that I would have done that."

Awww.

"Of course not."

"I definitely consistently have better decision-making abilities than the average three-year-old!"

"Having spent a year with a three-year-old, I believe you. It would take a lot for the averages not to work out in your favor."

"Shall we watch Up?"

"Sounds good to me."

Lev has a screen the size of a movie theater screen! And a comfy couch! And popcorn and movie theater candy! He is very proud of all of this. 

Karen is appropriately impressed with this setup! 

She has no idea whether it's a good idea to attempt to cuddle Lev during this movie. She's going to assume that they're not cuddling-during-movies friends yet because the alternative sounds slightly terrifying. Hug count be darned. She has a whole week.

She gets herself some over-buttered popcorn and settles in to watch Up.

Lev starts offering a running commentary on Easter eggs and authorial intent in Up, pauses the movie, turns on subtitles, and then continues pointing things out.

Then Karen will thoroughly enjoy herself, and also have enough to think about that she can, for once in her life, avoid spiraling into despair over what future effects of all the things she's doing or not doing will be.

The ending of Up is cute. It's not as heartbreakingly amazing as the first ten minutes, but it is cute.

"...Sorry, I had no idea I talked that much during movies."

"No, it's way better like this! What would be the point of watching them with other people if you didn't get to hear what they thought of them?"

"I'm glad you liked it! --See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah! See you tomorrow!"

And she hugs him, because he's still going to need a lot more hugs to get caught up.