Nerdwithagun: I got this idea for a songfic when I was listening to Maroon 5. Enjoy. Long Ulrich and Yumi oneshot songfic.
She Will Be Loved
Beauty queen of only 18
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else
He stood there, transfixed. He knew he shouldn't have stopped there. He knew that soon, she would notice him on the corner and get angry.
I drove for miles and miles
And wound up at your door.
I've had you so many times but somehow
I want more
On nights like these, he wondered if maybe he would finally tell her, finally let his secret out.
I don't mind spending every day
Maybe they would be together. Maybe they would continue to love each other through college. Maybe they would get married! Maybe have kids! Maybe.
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
But not tonight. Tonight he wasn't brave enough. Tomorrow then. Maybe.
Look for the girl with the broken smile
He sighed. He didn't understand why he couldn't just say it. He had had plenty of chances, all swept away by his own fear.
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
Some nights he stopped by her house. They would talk, laugh, sometimes watch a movie or two. They would get close, very close…
But Ulrich never told Yumi. He simply couldn't do it. He was afraid-afraid of rejection.
He sighed again and continued the walk back to Kadic.
He came this way almost every night because of his job at the store. He had to work almost every day to help save for college. His dad was drunken and angry and wouldn't give him any money.
It was torture, having to pass by every night. Sometimes he thought he force himself to walk by there, torturing himself until he broke and told her.
And she will be loved
She will be loved
He arrived at Kadic much more quickly than expected. His arms were like fifty pound weights. He opened the door quietly, so that he wouldn't wake his two roommates, Odd and TJ.
Morning came way too quickly for Ulrich.
Odd, TJ, and himself got up and continued with their morning routine:
Got up, got dressed, went to the bathroom, and met the rest of the gang down at breakfast.
When Yumi finally came up, they all greeted her as usual, and began to chat as usual. Only TJ noticed the change in Ulrich. He leaned in closer to him.
"Hey, man, you okay? You seem a little down," TJ said in a low voice to him.
Ulrich sighed. "I guess."
"You guess."
"Just the usual problems."
"Okay, I get it."
Ulrich sighed once again. No, TJ didn't get it. He doubted he ever would. Boy, was he wrong about that. (A/N: Oohh, suspense!)
They went through the day as usual. They all went to their normal classes, and nothing seemed different about the day.
But two people had something heavy on their minds.
Once the day was over, they all met in the courtyard and talked for a little while. And, as usual, they went their separate ways.
As Ulrich started to leave, Yumi grabbed his forearm, stopping him dead in his tracks. He whirled around as she did so.
"Ulrich? Can I talk to you for a second?"
Ulrich raised his eyebrow, a technique he had picked up for acting like he didn't know what it was about.
"Okay."
Yumi's eyes darted around.
"Somewhere private?"
Ulrich nodded.
They walked slowly over to the edge of the woods. Yumi looked around for a moment to make sure nobody was listening.
She took a deep breath as she began. "Look," she said, "I was in my kitchen last night, and I saw you on my street corner. You were staring up at my bedroom window."
She paused a moment before continuing to the next part.
Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
"Was there something that you wanted to tell me?"
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Ulrich looked in every direction except for Yumi's.
He finally answered. "No."
I know I tend to get so insecure
It doesn't matter any more
Yumi put her forehead into her hand and shook her head.
"Goddamn it Ulrich. You can be so hard to understand sometimes."
She began to walk away.
'Come on now Ulrich. This is your chance. She's going to walk away, and probably never speak to you again. This might be the last chance you get. Just walk up to her, and tell her how you feel.'
But he didn't. He just stood there, staring at the back of her head as she walked away from him.
"Yumi…."he whispered softly.
It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along, yeah
He inched slowly back to his dorm. It seemed like it took him a week for him to finally get back.
When he did finally get back, he lay down on his bed, a million thoughts buzzing inside his head.
He had been caught.
When TJ walked in and asked him if he was going to go to dinner, Ulrich just shook his head.
TJ looked at him with concern.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. See you tonight then. I might go on a date with Odd."
Ulrich chuckled lightly at this last part. TJ and Odd had been dating for about two months now. Ulrich always felt slightly nauseous when they talked about their relationship.
This had shocked everyone. It happened after TJ found out his girlfriend had been cheating on him with William. (A/N: I hate William…)
The next day he and Odd came down to the lunchroom holding hands.
But enough of that.
Ulrich lay motionless on his bed for about an hour. (he guessed Jeremie and Aelita had gone on a date, too) His phone suddenly rang, making Ulrich jump up in surprise. He nearly passed out when he saw whose number it was. It was his dad's.
He answered it. "Hello?"
"Ulrich, it's dad."
Ulrich, as you could probably guess, sighed.
"What do you want, dad?"
"Don't take that tone with me, son. I know we've had our denominational differences, but you have to listen to me now."
"'Denominational differences?' Why should I listen to you? You never listened to me!"
"Ulrich, just listen to me."
"Fine."
"Now I know your going to get upset with me when I say this, but it's something we have to do. I've just been transferred overseas. And I know you don't want to, but you're going to come with me when I move."
Ulrich's blood froze.
My heart is full and my door's always open
You can come anytime you want
"Me? Go with you? Hell, no."
"Yes, you are, Ulrich! It's time you started treating me like a father!"
"I'll do that as soon as you start treating me like as son! Maybe you don't, but I actually have a life! I can't just walk out on it suddenly!"
"Son, I don't want to here another word about this. Pack your bags and say goodbye to your friends. We're leaving in the morning."
"But, dad…"
"What is it, Ulrich?"
"I'm in love."
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
"Are you actually dating this mystery princess?"
"Well, not exactly…"
"Then there is no reason for you to stay here. I'll see you in the morning. Unless you magically start dating and fall in love over night, there is absolutely no reason for you to stay here. Who is this girl, anyway?"
Ulrich had trouble saying her name. "My friend Yumi."
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay a while
His dad responded rather rudely. "You mean you're in love with that Goth bitch?"
Ulrich's face flushed three times its normal shade of red.
"Don't you call her that, dad! Don't you call her that!"
"Son, I'm ending this conversation right now. Have your things ready in the morning." And with that, he hung up.
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
Ulrich tried to fight the tears in the back of his throat. 'Don't cry Ulrich, don't cry,' he told himself. But he couldn't bear it any longer. He sunk his head into his pillow and wept. Tears streamed down onto his pillow, creating a large blotchy spot on it. After about half an hour of sobbing, he fell into a deep, restless sleep.
Ulrich woke up in a cold sweat. Thunder and lightning could be heard outside. It was pouring rain.
His clock read 12:00. He looked around the room. Odd and TJ were asleep. He guessed they had turned in early.
Laying his head down on his pillow, he tried to think. He couldn't, his thoughts were all blurred.
All of a sudden he sat up, one thought in his mind. He knew what he had to do, and when he had to do it: now. He walked over to TJ's bed, shaking him awake.
TJ woke up with a start. Looking sleepily up at Ulrich, he murmured, "What are you doing?"
"Wake up, man. I need your advice."
"Is it personal advice?"
"Yes."
"Fine." TJ sat up, yawning as he did so. "Dude, what happened to you last night? We came in and you were asleep. Your pillow was all tear stained.
"Never mind that," Ulrich said. "Look, I'm about to do something that's totally crazy, but I need your advice on how to do it."
"What are you going to do?"
Ulrich took a deep breath. "I'm going to go tell Yumi I love her."
TJ just stared at him. (A/N: Don't worry, they haven't woken up Odd)
He finally spoke. "At this time of night? Are you crazy?"
"This may be the last chance I get," Ulrich replied. TJ glared at him.
"'Last chance?' What do you mean?"
I know where you hide
Alone in your car
Know all of the things that make you who you are
Ulrich bit his lower lip. "My dad called when you guys were at dinner. I have move overseas with him tomorrow. He said that the only way I could possibly stay was that if we, quoting him, 'Magically start dating and fall in love over night.'" Ulrich broke down.
"Okay man, don't flip out. I'll help you with this. Don't worry."
Ulrich responded through sobs, "Oh man, I don't know what to do!"
"Look, this is what you do: go to her house first. Obviously. Do not, under and circumstances, climb up to her window. That will scare her. Throw a rock at her window, not to hard, to get her attention. When she answers, only you decide what to do from there."
Ulrich sighed. "I'm not sure I can do this."
TJ suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders. "Look," he said. "You have to do this. I don't want you to make the same mistake I did."
Ulrich looked at him with wide eyes. "TJ, what happened?" he whispered.
TJ sat back on his bed and buried his head into his hands. "I was fifteen. There was a girl-her name was Amy. God, I loved her so much. She was everything in the world to me, like Yumi is to you. But, like you, I was too afraid to tell her how I felt. So many chances slipped through my hands. One day, I decided to tell her. I was afraid I wouldn't get another chance. So I went home to my house to get my jacket and things. I walked inside, and there was Amy and my brother, sitting on the couch and kissing." Now it was his turn to sigh. "I never felt the same after that."
There was a moment of silence.
Ulrich got up. "That settles it," he stammered. "I'm going to tell her tonight, and I'm not going to back down."
TJ smiled. "Go get her, tiger."
Ulrich, after troublesomely sneaking past Jim, finally made it to the front of the dorms. He glanced outside. The rain was coming down in buckets. He pushed back the tears swelling in his eyes and stepped outside.
He started the slow journey to Yumi's house. By the time he reached the gate leading to outside the school, he was already shivering from the cold and drenched to the bone.
But nevertheless, he pushed on toward Yumi's neighborhood. He finally reached the front of her house. Rain was streaming down his cheeks-or was it something else?
I know that goodbye means nothing at all
Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls
He stood there, once again in a trance. He finally snapped back to reality and looked up at her bedroom window. Her light was on. Good. She was still awake.
Getting down on his knees, he searched for a rock amidst all the mud. Finding a small one, he lodged it, not too hard, at her bedroom window.
Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
He stood there freezing, waiting for her to come.
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
She finally walked over to her window in search of the source of the noise. She swept open her curtains and looked down at the sidewalk. Her mouth fell open when she spotted Ulrich.
"Ulrich?! What the hell are you doing here in the rain?" she shouted at him.
"Can I come up? I really want to talk to you."
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
Yumi glared at him for what seemed like an eternity.
"Fine," she finally said, "but you'll have to climb up. I don't want you getting water all over my house."
Ulrich dashed forward, expertly climbing up the rain gutter. He paused when he reached her rain gutter.
"Are your parents home?" asked Ulrich.
"No," said Yumi. "They're out of town this week. I'm just holding down the fort. Here, I'll get you a towel."
He climbed through her windowsill when she returned. She handed him the towel, and he wrapped it around himself, shivering in her air-conditioned room. She shut the window and sat down on her Japanese-style bed.
She crossed her arms and glared at him, eyes burning holes in his head.
After a minute she spoke. "Ulrich, if you're going to say something, hurry up and say it, because I'm not really in the mood to talk to you right now."
Ulrich looked sadly at her. "Actually, Yumi, that's what it's about…" He paused for another moment. "That night when you saw me looking at your window, I did have something to tell you…" He scooted closer to her. "I love you, Yumi. I always have loved you, and I'm going to keep on loving you for the rest of my life. There. I said it."
He was panting hard now.
Yumi sat there without a word, staring sullenly at him. She shifted uncomfortably.
"Ulrich, that is very sweet. But this is the thing…" She looked at him with soft eyes. Ulrich tried to fight back his tears. He knew he would get rejected.
"It's okay," he said, as he began to get back up, "I understand." But Yumi grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the bed.
"Wait, Ulrich. I didn't finish." She looked at the bed, then back up at him. "This is the thing." She leaned in closer, and whispered in his ear, "I love you too."
She went back to her original position. They sat there, staring at each other.
Ulrich reached forward and put his arms around her shoulders. He leaned in and kissed her. She wrapped his arms around him and deepened the kiss. They fell over onto the bed. After about five minutes, they parted for air, their tongues in a fierce battle. They continued like this for about a quarter of an hour.
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
Then they got interesting. Without a word, Yumi reached forward and began to pull off Ulrich's shirt. He did the same. Very soon, they ended up underneath the sheets, bodies squirming. After a while, their lips parted, and she looked up at him with a look of contentment, Ulrich smiling back down at her with soft eyes. He leaned back over and kissed her again.
After a while, they just lay cuddling in bed next to each other. She smiled at him.
"Ulrich?"
"Yeah?"
"This may sound sort of embarrassing, but…this is the happiest moment in my life."
Ulrich gazed back at her. "Back at you, sweetie."
Yumi giggled.
He turned back over and looked up at the ceiling. "Yumi…there's something I should probably tell you…"
She turned her head and looked at him. "Yeah?"
"My dad called me last evening. He told me that I had to move overseas with him. When I told him that I was in love with you, he said that unless we managed to suddenly start dating and fall in love overnight, I had to go with him. But now I guess I get to stay…" His eyes met her eyes again.
"Oh…" said Yumi.
"Yumi, you don't think I'm using you!"
"Of course not! It just sort of came as a surprise to me. I mean, are you just using me?"
"No!"
"Don't worry, I believe you. I'm so glad you came…"
"I guess we're going to have to confront my dad tomorrow."
Yumi smiled. "I guess we will."
With that, she rested her head against his shoulder and fell into a deep sleep…
Neither of them wanted the morning to come that day. They wanted to remain in their embrace forever.
Nevertheless, they got up, got dressed, and walked their way to Kadic.
As they entered the courtyard, the principal walked up to Ulrich.
"Ah! Ulrich! I've been looking for you. Your dad is here, he's waiting up at your room. I'm very sorry that you'll have to be leaving."
Ulrich looked at Yumi slyly as they entered the dorms and walked up the stairs to Ulrich's room. When he finally saw his dad for the first time in years, it came as quite a shock to both Ulrich and Yumi.
His dad had never looked worse. He was going bald, he had dark circles under his eyes, and he resembled what might be called Super 5:00 Shadow Man.
His dad spun around when he heard them coming and looked at Ulrich with cold eyes.
"Where the hell have you been?" he barked at him. "We're going to miss our flight! Now hurry up and get your bags so we can leave!"
Ulrich stared up at his dad. "You were wrong, dad. Yumi and I did fall in love over-night. Now you can't make me leave."
His dad smiled at him stonily. "I'm proud of you son. But frankly, I don't really give a shit, and we're going to get out of here before I whip your ass with a belt."
Ulrich jumped back at this. "You can't make me do this!" he screamed.
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye
"Ulrich, bags or not, we are leaving NOW!"
"No," said Ulrich firmly.
His dad turned around, then spun around very quickly and slapped him hard across the face. Ulrich winced and fell back into Yumi's arms. She looked up at the cruel man, tears streaming down her face.
"You can't do this!" she screamed.
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye
Ulrich got back up shakily.
Then it was Ulrich and Yumi's turn to spin around.
There was some commotion coming from around the corner. The principal and two policemen came strutting around the corner, shouting incoherent words at each other. The policeman walked up to Ulrich's father.
"Are you Nicholas Stern (A/N: just go with the name)?" they asked.
"Yes."
They flipped their badges out. "Nicholas Stern, you are under arrest for the embezzlement of three thousand dollars from the local bank."
What happened next was a blur to Ulrich and Yumi. There was a great scramble and a few punches were heard, and next thing they knew, the police were dragging Ulrich's dad away.
"I'll back for you Ulrich! I'll be back!"
Ulrich and Yumi walked slowly out of the building. They clasped hands and walked out to the forest, right to their favorite tree. They sat down beneath it.
Ulrich reached over and kissed Yumi.
"That's it, then, isn't it?" he whispered softly to her.
Yeah
I wouldn't mind spending every day
"No," said Yumi.
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
"There's so much more to come."
And with that, they embraced each other.
Try so hard to say goodbye…
Nerdwithagun: Whoa! I wrote this all in one afternoon and evening! I hope you liked it, and forgive me if the ending was corny. Please review!
