the breath you couldn't take - chapter 4 (neutron star collision)
—
It took a few years for Ulrich to catch on.
At age 12, he started noticing things about Yumi Ishiyama.
The way she talked - clipped, solid statements that didn't leave room for disagreements. The way she smirked when she subtly won an argument. The way he had to look up to meet her eyes.
A little intimidated by how tall she was and how easily she overpowered him during their sparring matches, Ulrich stood quiet, admiration and a little envy heavy in his chest.
At 13, he started to notice other things.
How stark her eyes were, two glittering supernovas. She kept her hair short, and as she pinned him to the mat, he felt her hair brush his neck. It was so soft, and it tickled.
At this point, their friendship was a steady, solid thing. Lyoko had made quick work of that.
Yumi was the type of person who was so clever, so smart and yet never flaunted it. When the teacher handed her back her assignments, cheerfully marked with A's, Yumi would quietly tuck them away. When Jeremie would stop himself short and smile, say 'But I won't bore you guys with the details', he watched Yumi systematically change the conversation, nurturing his ego.
And yes, it was impossible not to notice that she was beautiful.
Beauty was never a point of pride for her, so Ulrich refrained from commenting on it.
At 14, Ulrich was feeling a little brave and said,
"You look nice in that dress."
To which Yumi loftily replied, "So what?"
And that was the last time Ulrich Stern complimented Yumi on looks.
Months after that, Yumi explained, "It's just - I don't want that to be a factor in … anything." Ulrich understood. Yumi wanted to be looked at, just not in the way Sissi did.
At 15, things began to shift.
Of course, if Ulrich wanted to be honest with himself, he had been on a rockslide since Yumi turned, smiled and said, "I'm Yumi", and tucked her onyx hair behind her ear, cool and self assured but oh so kind.
Ulrich started to notice the slant of her cheekbones, the curve of her lips. The sound of her laughter, the way her hand felt, clammy with sweat, as they ran, ran as fast as they could, away from danger.
The way he felt when William was in the room, like all four valves of his heart had suddenly clenched shut.
The thought of losing her made his breath stutter, and Ulrich had to close his eyes, remind himself that it wasn't real, she was still here, she was still in reach.
At 17, with Yumi's head leaning on his shoulder, her hair tickling his throat, her sleepy little sighs wafting in the air, her thigh resting on his as her body curved towards him, Ulrich realized something else.
He was in love with her.
Ulrich slowly exhaled, turning his wrist to check the time. 4:29am. Soon, Yumi's parents would be awake, or her brother would thunder down the hallway, kick in the door…
It was probably best for him to leave.
He slipped his arm around her waist and lifted her to her bed.
Her lips were still bright with lipstick, and Ulrich wanted nothing more than to kiss her.
But, he forcefully reminded himself, she had said no.
Ulrich suddenly felt the weight of being awake for nearly twenty four hours.
Slowly and carefully, he opened Yumi's window and climbed down the ladder with the familiarity of someone who had done so a thousand times.
For now, Ulrich was happy to be a wolf at her door, waiting for her to let him in.
—
Yumi caught Aelita's eyes from across the classroom and mouthed, 'I hate you'.
Aelita grinned and turned her attention back to Jeremie, who was sitting next to her.
It hurt to be alive. Her mouth was dry, her eyelids felt like paper mâché. And when Yumi thought about the events of the previous night, her head only hurt more.
'Stay with me'
'Always'
Honestly, at this point, Yumi wouldn't fault Ulrich for hating her. How was she going to help him climb down from that ledge?
She thought she was dreaming when he climbed through her window.
And what a beautiful dream it had been.
This was an elective class, the only class they had together, and Yumi felt Ulrich's eyes fixed on her head. He sat directly behind her, and she could hear every stroke of his pen, deliberate, tapping on the desk. That was his tell, his nervous habit - he was unsure of what to do next. It amused and alarmed her how well she knew him.
Sissi sat two seats away from her, in front, and Yumi saw her staring back at Ulrich more than a few times. She looked utterly content, and when she caught Yumi's eyes, her mouth set itself into a sneer.
She thought she had won, but Ulrich wasn't a trophy.
An ugly feeling bloomed in her chest and Yumi recognized it as jealousy.
Ulrich belonged to them.
To her.
Quickly, Yumi tucked that thought away, tried to focus on the assignment before her.
But it was impossible. Yumi knew the tide was turning, and she would have to make a decision, a real decision soon.
The thought of going away to University and not seeing Ulrich for years, if ever again, turned her stomach. Or maybe that was just the massive hangover she inherited from the night before.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Ulrich.
Can we talk?
Yumi felt her headache intensify. Another buzz. Aelita.
Okay, you need to tell me why Ulrich is looking at you like a lost puppy. Did something happen last night? Tell me EVERYTHING.
Ugh, she was never going to hear the end of this.
Another buzz. Ulrich.
I have something really important to tell you.
Yumi's hands were shaking. She was probably dehydrated, she reasoned. Or maybe she was terrified. Either way, she picked up her phone and replied.
To Ulrich: Okay.
To Aelita: Prepare yourself, shit is about to go down.
—
