Shorter chapter, but I wanted to post the next bit. I wouldn't expect updates like this all the time though. In fact, please don't you'll be very disappointed.
Ulrich didn't seem anything like what Jeremy had imagined any of his strings would be like. Ulrich was mostly quiet, he was also often very rude (though Jeremy was not much better at times). As they grew more comfortable with each other, Ulrich did come around some. They were different- french fries and ice cream different- and at first, it was difficult to find common ground. Soon though, they found themselves settling comfortably into the relationship that fate had probably intended.
They often partnered in classes, though they didn't always sit next to each other, in which case they both sat alone. Sometimes though, Sissi took this to mean she could bother Ulrich, who had long out grown putting up with her more angering tendencies, the pink string on their fingers shrinking as a result.
Jeremy actually really liked being friends with Ulrich. He didn't mind giving Jeremy space, but he also took the time to ensure that Jeremy was taking care of himself, something Jeremy would often forget when he got caught up in something. He didn't anger all that easily, though he was sensitive about his grades, which Jeremy had found out only a little while after they met.
"What did you get on the French test?" he'd asked him one day. Ulrich had shrugged and muttered something, not looking at Jeremy. Jeremy had already been bracing for some bad news- Ulrich's string was twitching all over with something like failure- and he wasn't super surprised that Ulrich looked as bad as the bond felt. Jeremy was about to push further when he remembered what his mother had said after being introduced to Ulrich.
"Remember sweetie, a lot of people aren't as good in school as you are. A lot of times you may succeed where they won't, and if you aren't careful, that'll make them resent you. Don't push them to tell you about their grades, that's personal. Offer help where you can, but don't try to force it. Don't bring up grades all the time, it can make people be anxious. Just be courteous and aware of other people's feelings. If you got a horrible grade, you probably wouldn't really want to talk about it either, would you?"
So for the moment, Jeremy let it go, though he worried over his only friend for the rest of the day, something Ulrich definitely noticed. Still, they said nothing until the end of the day, when Jeremy went to Ulrich's room nervously, knocking with the hope Ulrich would actually let him in. He did, looking reluctant.
"What did you get on the French test?" Jeremy asked once he was in Ulrich's room.
"It's not important," Ulrich muttered, waving his hand as though to dismiss the subject, sitting on his bed and not looking at Jeremy. Unfortunately for him, Jeremy was stubborn.
"It is if you really don't want to talk about it," Jeremy insisted. "It's okay if you got a bad grade." He tried to soothe.
"No it isn't!" Ulrich hissed it out, letting his feelings boil over. "I'll never hear the end of it." Ulrich ran a hand through his hair. "I failed it, okay? I failed the test." He yanked it out of his bag and threw it at Jeremy, though it only fluttered to the floor. Jeremy picked it up and examined it. There was a moment of silence in which Ulrich rested his head in his hands and Jeremy read before Jeremy finally realized what was wrong.
"Have you ever been tested for Dyslexia?" he asked suddenly, and realized that this definitely was the wrong thing to blurt out when Ulrich was so stressed as he was given a scolding look.
"There's nothing wrong with me," Ulrich said angrily.
"Of course not!" Jeremy hastened to reply. "It would just mean you learn a little differently than the teachers teach, that's all. And, well..." Jeremy waved the paper. "It would explain some of the mistakes you made. It isn't your fault, really." Ulrich shook his head.
"Yeah, alright?" he muttered, pushing his hair out of the way. "I wasn't tested for dyslexia, per say, but I was tested to see why my grades were so bad. My dad got angry and says I just have to work hard. He was angry we couldn't cure it."
"It doesn't work like that," Jeremy said, confused. Ulrich snorted. He looked really uncomfortable.
"Look, I only told you because of..." Ulrich waved his hand where the string of their bond was. "Just... don't mention it, okay?" he looked at Jeremy and there was something in his eyes that made Jeremy feel... equally uncomfortable.
"I won't, I promise. I can help though. Read through stuff before you turn it in at least." Jeremy shifted, uncertain.
"I'd appreciate that," Ulrich muttered. "Can we just..." he made a vague gesture.
"Yeah, do you want to play that one game you were talking about before?"
"Yeah," They didn't talk about it again, nor about the fact that Jeremy suddenly started to deliver notes to Ulrich which had been typed with fonts more friendly to people with dyslexia, nor the fact that Jeremy read over all of Ulrich's homework and even some of his classwork, nor any of the other things Jeremy did to help Ulrich with their schoolwork. If, in exchange, Ulrich humored more of Jeremy's unintelligible babbling, well, no one knew the difference.
SoFSoFSoFSoFSoFSoF
"So you've done a lot of research on the strings of fate?" They were hanging out in Ulrich's room, not doing anything particularly interesting when Ulrich asked.
"Yeah," Jeremy said, "I wanted to know if I could find my people sooner." he admitted. Then he snorted. "You know, the bonds do that to us."
"Do what?"
"Make us say things we wouldn't tell anybody else. Though there is some controversy. Some people think it's the psychological element of the bond- you know it's someone you're supposed to trust so you tell them things you wouldn't be able to tell other people."
"Yeah, I get that." Ulrich held his hands above his head, studying the strings that decorated them. "Which finger is which? I know the ring fingers, the lucky finger and the family finger, but I don't remember what the other ones are."
"Well." Jeremy held up his own fingers, studying his own strings as he spoke. "Left to right, it's ring, lucky, networking, family and bad bonds. Then temporary, friend, cross-species, protection and ring."
"That... explains a thing or two, actually." Ulrich flexed his fingers, feeling the gentle strings as they moved. "Can we send thoughts across them? Like in the movies? I've tried it before but I never got the feeling they went through."
"It depends. Some people claim they can, and there has been evidence that it's possible, but only for some people. It's incredibly rare that you'd be able to do more than send extreme emotions across the bond. Success is also dependent on the state of the bond. I am able to sense your mood more easily now that our string has activated than I was able to before. I'm sure it's the same for you, as well."
"Yeah. It's weird, all these stories about bonds, and yet no one really seems to understand them."
"Everyone has their favorite theory. Mine is that it's who we are meant to meet as far as the future we have decided. I don't like the 'unchanging' theory, because I don't think time or fate is set the way some people do. What about you?"
Ulrich thought about it for a moment. "It's the people we would meet, no matter the circumstances, the bond just makes it easier to see who those people are, but it doesn't create the relationship. It just gives it a jumpstart." There was a moment of silence after this.
"That was a quote from a movie wasn't it?"
"It was a good movie."
"I'm sure it was."
SoFSoFSoFSoFSoF
"Ulrich, I don't understand why you're hanging around with that Belpois kid." Sissi had cornered Ulrich on his way to lunch. Between them, the bond shimmered, a sign of intense emotion.
"He's one of my strings, why else?" Ulrich shifted, his own annoyance becoming evident. "You know I'm not a social person Eli."
"It's Sissi!" she hissed, hunching her shoulders. "Besides, I'm one of your strings, and you barely talk to me anymore."
"Maybe it's because Sissi is an immature spoiled brat who insults everyone and thinks she's better than everyone else." Ulrich barely kept his voice down. Sissi jerked away, looking hurt, before anger flooded her face.
"See, you're so different and it's all that stupid Belpois' fault!"
"Do you hear how ridiculous you sound? This isn't about Jeremy. He hasn't done anything and you need to leave him alone. It's about the way you're acting! You were never like this before, and I can't stand it. You want to save our bond? Stop being such a... such a bitch." Ulrich felt bad for saying it, especially seeing the look on her face, but he was seriously done with this entire act that was Sissi. "Eli was one of my strings. I don't want to be attached to Sissi."
He left Sissi behind, crushed, and he didn't have to look at his hand to feel as the string on his finger moved, wrapping itself across his left thumb and turning the color of dead plants, as the emotional connection cut off, dulled beyond what he could feel. He pretended to be alright when he met Jeremy at their usual spot, and Jeremy pretended he didn't know something was wrong.
"So I've been thinking..." Jeremy started after a few moments of silence, looking unsure.
"Been thinking what?" Ulrich looked up at his friend with a raised eyebrow.
"Well... I need some spare parts for my robots, and I was thinking... there is that factory not too far from here..." Jeremy shrugged. "We could go there this afternoon and look around."
"That sounds like more fun than anything else I was planning to do this afternoon." Ulrich grinned. "Do you know how we're going to get there?" Jeremy nodded eagerly, and the boys got to planning their trip, making Ulrich forget about his fight with Sissi, which had been Jeremy's hope all along.
I read a headcanon that Ulrich had dyslexia and it actually made a lot of sense with the show- he makes mistakes regarding words that are similar, he's really intelligent and yet still has trouble on tests, that sort of thing.
