Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah I don't own Code Lyoko. -_-
Thaw
Silence.
But as usual, it was deafening.
I traced over Ulrich's frown with my line of sight. His, no pun intended, stern look, almost cut a hole in the empty air in front of him. Yeah it was pretty clear he wasn't in the mood to talk, or so it always seemed after a call from his father. But all the same I knew it was again up to me to break through his frozen layer.
So hesitantly taking the empty seat on the sofa beside him, I smiled hoping he'd follow. "Ulrich hey uh, do you want to talk about it?" Somehow I already knew that was a stupid question.
He crossed his arms as a heavy sigh escaped from his frustration.
"No...sorry Yumi not really." His voice wasn't exactly happy, but I detected him tempering his tone so it wouldn't come off as a snap. Those were the simple things that no one else would have noticed, but that meant a lot to me.
Gently reaching to touch his shoulder I gathered the nerve to cut straight to the heart of the issue. "Hey Ulrich...if you let me in I'll keep you company."
He slowly turned his head to meet my eyes, as his face softened ever so slightly. "I thought you were already in...? I mean usually you pick the lock..."
I smiled a little warmer. "Well maybe, but this time I was hoping you'd just open the door."
He exhaled as his expression thawed. "Oh you know...every time I think maybe we can talk...just talk...he'll say something, and it'll be all I can do to get off the phone without arguing!" His voice flared in a burst of frustration. "Even after all this time nothing's good enough for him!"
I looked down as I reached for the right thing to say. "But you both keep trying don't you...?" He looked confused for a moment before his face dropped a little calmer.
"Yeah sure I try, I don't want him to hate me forever."
I frowned as I tightened my grip around his shoulder. "He doesn't hate you Ulrich. And yeah he keeps trying too you know. You both are just way too much alike."
Ulrich frowned deeper. "We're not alike Yumi. Not at all."
I raised an unconvinced eyebrow. "Is that so...?"
He was quiet for a few long seconds before his cold shoulder started to melt. He shyly glanced me out the corner of his eye.
"Okay maybe a little...but you've got to admit that sometimes he's just so...hard to live with."
I smiled a little softer as I brushed a few stray springs of hair from his eyes. "Yeah maybe that's one thing you and your dad do have in common...but uh between you and me, I haven't noticed it."
An ever so slight smile appeared on his face as he looked at me. "You've got to be kidding... Yumi you of all people know how hard I am to live with." I laughed quietly as I leaned to kiss him on the cheek.
"You're right I do know it...but that doesn't mean I noticed it..."
FIN
Reviews are welcome, thanks!