Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.

Chapter 8

"What do you mean not good enough?" yelled Ulrich.

"I mean that you didn't tell her the whole truth," explained Jeremie.

"I was going to, but it was a lot to take in!" defended Ulrich.

"So you're saying you're totally satisfied with the way things are now?" asked Jeremie inquisitively.

"I-I..." stammered Ulrich. He was happy, but he felt like there was something missing. He wasn't about to admit that to Jeremie, though. "Yes, I am."

"I know you're lying," said Jeremie.

"Fine," growled Ulrich. "Am I supposed to climb up to her window and tell her?"

"If you want her father to kill you, go ahead," said Jeremie. "It's a pretty tragic way to end a beautiful relationship, though."

"Says the guy who has nothing to fear from his girlfriend's parents," retorted Ulrich.

"If you don't take care of this, I will," said Jeremie cryptically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ulrich.

"Do yourself a favor and get a good night's sleep," said Jeremie. He ended the call, infuriating Ulrich.

"Thanks for the help, Einstein," said Ulrich, shoving the mobile in his phone.

"It's progress," commented Aelita as Jeremie hung up on Ulrich.

"Definitely," said Jeremie, nodding. "I think if the new couple had their first official fight, it might speed things along."

"It's awfully risky," said Aelita.

"They fight all the time, the only difference now is that they'll kiss when they make up," said Jeremie.

"Jeremie, we never had a fight as a couple before," observed Aelita.

"We haven't had anything to fight about," Jeremie pointed out.

"Yes we do," said Aelita. "We usually have different opinions about what's best to do on Lyoko, or the key to the antivirus, and I was positive you'd be mad after what happened with Theo. And people bet all the time which one of us is going to come out with the better grades at the end of the school year. So why don't we ever fight?"

"Are you asking me to fight with you?" asked Jeremie.

"No, I'm confused," said Aelita. "I thought couples were supposed to fight with each other."

"It's not necessary," said Jeremie. "Remember the fights we had before we got together? What brought those on?"

"It was usually you were being too protective of me," answered Aelita. "Our last fight was because of those dumb fake valentines."

"I'm protective of you because I love you," said Jeremie. "I was jealous because I love you. The reason I try to avoid fighting with you is because I love you."

"Yumi and Ulrich love each other, and they still fight," said Aelita.

"Every couple is different, Aelita," said Jeremie, holding her face. "And they all sort out their problems in their own way. Ulrich and Yumi might need to yell to get their feelings out before they can talk."

"How are we going to sort out our problems?" asked Aelita curiously.

"I'm not sure," said Jeremie. "Today I just wanted to hold you until you felt better."

"I wouldn't mind if that was our way," said Aelita, smiling. Jeremie grinned and kissed her cheek.

"I love your smile," Jeremie told her, causing her to blush. "But you know, if we fight, you might not want me to hold you."

"I bet I will," said Aelita.

"Are you willing to back up that bet?" asked Jeremie, smirking. "What are the stakes?"

"Loser has to..." started Aelita, and she beamed widely. "Go with the winner to Lyoko."

"Aelita!" said Jeremie.

"What?" asked Aelita innocently.

"Either way I lose," grumbled Jeremie.

"Either way you're getting a kiss," promised Aelita. "Jeremie, I think we should leave Yumi and Ulrich alone."

"What do you mean?" asked Jeremie, startled. "We've already got them dating!"

"And we should let them try it out," said Aelita. "If they're meant for each other, they'll work it out."

"Aelita, we worked hard putting this all together," said Jeremie, bewildered at her sudden change of mind.

"And we hardly have any time for each other," said Aelita. "Don't you want to spend more time with me?"

"You know I want more time with you, Aelita, but it's important for us to help our friends," said Jeremie.

"Okay, you're right," said Aelita brightly. "I win."

"What are you talking about?" asked Jeremie.

"We just argued," said Aelita. "It was polite, and it was short, but it was an argument none the less, and I'm happy to be in your arms. How does tomorrow afternoon work for you?"

Jeremie opened his mouth to debate with her, but shook his head and closed it. She'd probably get him to go to Lyoko twice for it. She'd had a hard day, and one short trip to a virtual world couldn't hurt.

"Just don't laugh when you see me on Lyoko, okay?" asked Jeremie pleadingly. Aelita nodded, thrilled that he had actually agreed. "I'll take my kiss now."

Ulrich never knew what it was like to feel equal amounts of rage and happiness at the same time, until now. He was severely pissed at Jeremie, but felt fortunate that he was now going out with Yumi. It was somewhat confusing, trying to experience both at the same time, so he decided just to focus on the latter.

He saw a blur of pink out of the corner of his eye. Aelita was walking back to her room. He frowned when it looked like she was alone, but his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw Jeremie escorting her.

Ulrich jogged to catch up with them and set his hand on Aelita's shoulder. She spun around, and when she saw him she jerked away.

"Aelita, it's Ulrich!" said Ulrich.

"Oh, sorry," said Aelita. "It's just the brown hair, and you're the same height..."

"Jer, can I borrow your girlfriend for a few minutes?" asked Ulrich uncomfortably. The genius glanced at Aelita, who nodded, and he did the same.

"What's up, Ulrich?" asked Aelita.

"You probably know about Yumi and me," started Ulrich.

"And I'm very happy for you," said Aelita.

"And Jeremie is being really stingy about the fact that I didn't say the words 'I love you,'" said Ulrich.

"Well, you're supposed to tell her," said Aelita.

"I know, but am I supposed to wait and see how much Yumi likes me, or do I blurt it out the next time I see her?" asked Ulrich.

"I told you, just be yourself," reminded Aelita. "You know how much she likes you, she loves you."

"Has she said anything?" asked Ulrich.

"No," lied Aelita. Yumi had called shortly after Ulrich did, and was blaming herself for not saying what he didn't. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid, I'm just...scared," finished Ulrich lamely. "I can wipe out a swarm of hornets, but I can't tell my girlfriend I love her."

"That's because she's not just any girl," said Aelita kindly. "Yumi is your dream girl. And I think you're scared that if you lose her in the future, it's going to hurt a lot more because you confessed. Right?"

"How did you figure that out?" asked Ulrich, taken aback.

"I might not be completely human, but I can feel emotion," said Aelita, smirking.

"Sorry," said Ulrich sheepishly. "So I should just forget what might happen and tell her?"

"Make sure it's special," said Aelita. "It's a moment she'll always remember."

"You really know how to make a guy feel better," said Ulrich, scowling.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to make it perfect," said Aelita. "But if you don't, we will."

"What does that even mean?" asked Ulrich.

"Sleep on it," said Aelita, giving him a friendly pat on the back. "You'll need the energy."

"You're just as bad as Jeremie," mumbled Ulrich.

"Goodnight," said Aelita, turning on her heel and returning to her waiting boyfriend.

Jeremie stopped when he saw a black-haired boy going to his next class. Time to start that first couple fight. Aelita noticed him hesitate and gave him a kiss on the cheek for good luck, then leaving him to hurry to gym class.

"Hey, William," called out Jeremie, stepping towards Ulrich's rival.

"Oh, hey, Jeremie," said William, nodding to him. "How's it working out with Aelita?"

"It's great, thanks," answered Jeremie. "Can I ask you for a small favor, though?"

"Uh, sure," said William.

"Okay, you see that girl over there?" asked Jeremie, pointing at the end of the hallway. William smiled.

"Yeah," said William coolly.

"Good, I need you to..." Jeremie lowered his voice to finish instructing his old teacher. If Ulrich ever heard him asking this, Jeremie would have to flee the country.

"I can do that," said William, already moving to the end of the hall.

"No, not now," said Jeremie. "Do it right after fifth period, while she's still in the classroom."

"Okay," said William. He grinned. "No problem."

"And this conversation never happened," said Jeremie. "Got it?"

"Whatever you say," said William proudly.

Odd had stared at Yumi and Ulrich for the last few minutes, and still couldn't get over his surprise. Ulrich had told him in detail about last night, but they were acting like nothing had happened at all. They had hardly said three words to each other, and rarely made eye contact.

"Okay, what is going on?" Odd finally broke down.

"What do you mean?" asked Ulrich, looking up from his lunch.

"You guys are boyfriend and girlfriend, start acting like it!" said Odd.

"Yumi, do you have a problem with the way things are right now?" asked Ulrich.

"No," lied Yumi.

"Then neither do I," said Ulrich, glaring at Odd.

"Don't tell me you're shy," said Odd, rolling his eyes. "I've got the shyest couple in France sitting at my left sucking face like it's the only way they can get oxygen."

Jeremie, too preoccupied to make a retort, took careful aim and flicked Odd in the head. Yumi laughed and Ulrich chuckled. She set her hand on the table, touching his fingers on accident. He enclosed them around her hand, giving her a smile that warmed her from the inside out.

"Come on, you can do better than that," said Odd teasingly.

Yumi cautiously moved for his lips. It wasn't that she was shy or embarrassed. She was waiting for him to make the first move, which wasn't really in her nature. Yumi had this fear that if she kissed him, or made any attempts at romance, he'd see that it wasn't just a liking to him, but love. And if he only liked her as a girlfriend, then he'd get intimidated and leave.

"That's more like it," said Odd. Then he realized that his friends all had better things to do than laugh at his jokes, and he sighed, deciding to make the best of it. "Well, if you aren't going to eat, I might as well take those portions off your hands."

Ulrich heard Odd cheer as the most boring class of the day, history, reached its end.

"Ulrich, why don't you go see Yumi?" suggested Jeremie. "Her class is right next door, and it'll be the first time you've seen her since lunch."

"Yeah," said Ulrich, nodding. "I'll meet up with you guys later."

Ulrich grabbed his bag and threw his books in, then exited the room. He pushed his way through the mob of students, and saw Yumi packing her things, while being harassed by William at the same time. Ulrich frowned, but knew envy wasn't going to get the best of him this time. He kept that in his mind, but forgot it when William pushed a forceful kiss on the Japanese beauty.

He wanted to yell. He wanted to copy Jeremie and leave like the first time Theo messed with Aelita, and get away from it all. But he wasn't Jeremie. He wasn't letting some punk stand in the way of him and Perfection.

He strode over to the two, one trying to deepen the kiss, the other struggling against it, and tapped William on the shoulder.

"Hey, William," said Ulrich. William straightened up, pink in the face and not expecting to be interrupted.

"What do you want?" sneered William. Yumi took the chance to space herself from her enemy.

"You know, usually when someone hits on my girlfriend, I feel like breaking every bone in his body," said Ulrich, his tone oddly cheerful.

"Just try, I dare you," said William. The attempt to domineer over Ulrich was lessened by the fact that Ulrich was now taller than him, thanks to the growth spurt he had while Yumi was on vacation.

"Oh, no, you misunderstand me, my friend," said Ulrich. "Not you, you're special. If it was any other guy, I would personally make sure he was out cold and bleeding in various areas."

"What are you trying to say?" asked William. Ulrich averted his gaze to Yumi for a brief instant, as if giving her a silent cue.

"I'm warning you by saying that you didn't pick the wrong guy to mess with," said Ulrich. "You picked the wrong girl."

William didn't get the opportunity to reply. Yumi promptly executed a sweep kick, knocking his legs out from under him and allowing him to fall on his backside. He stayed down, just like Yumi knew he would. It didn't matter that he wasn't hurt physically, she had spurned his pride. The rest of the class was chortling openly, and if the teacher hadn't left to get coffee, it was likely he'd be hiding a smile.

Ulrich felt content when he saw Yumi looking radiant. He wasn't Jeremie, and she wasn't Aelita. He didn't have to worry about protecting her. By granting her this one small pleasure of taking care of herself, she was at her happiest all day.

"Thanks, Ulrich," said Yumi, walking out of the room with him.

"He deserved it," said Ulrich, waving the compliment away. "I just got him off of you. You made him the laughing stock of the school."

"I thought you were going to freak out like you usually do when he flirts with me," said Yumi.

"I also thought I'd do better than a D on my math test," joked Ulrich. "William may act tough, but he's a coward. He should be the least of my problems."

Yumi was happy to hear that her boyfriend wasn't going to get jealous, and taken by surprise that he had made the change seemingly overnight. Ulrich halted his impressed girlfriend and gave her a small, sweet kiss just as the bell rang.

"I'll catch up with you after school, okay?" asked Ulrich. Yumi nodded and had to sprint to her next class if she didn't want a scolding.

"Ugh," moaned Jeremie, his entire body aching. "You go through this every time?"

"You get used to it," said Aelita, helping him out of the scanner. "Can you stand up?"

"I think so," muttered Jeremie, clutching the sides of the scanner for support. "I am never going back there again."

"Don't be so sour, you looked adorable," said Aelita, adjusting his glasses for him.

"Aelita," said Jeremie disbelievingly.

"You just won't say it because you're stubborn as a fool," said Aelita, leading him to the elevator.

"Mule, Aelita, not fool," Jeremie reminded her.

"I always forget," said Aelita, shrugging. "Come on, you couldn't have hated the entire time we were there. Wasn't there anything you liked?"

"You," said Jeremie simply.

"Anything else?" asked Aelita, blushing mildly.

"The trees in the forest sector looked nice," said Jeremie. Aelita giggled; at least he tried. "You know I was never a guy for action. I always stick to working behind the scenes."

"I think you could learn to love it," said Aelita, moving her thumb over his cheek. He took her hand and kissed it.

"Princess, I'm sorry, but I could never learn to love something that served as your prison for so long," said Jeremie, smiling sadly. "If it's any consolation, you look beautiful on Lyoko."

"And I think you look very handsome," said Aelita determinedly.

Jeremie sighed and felt his phone buzzing. There was no point in trying to make her see different. He opened the new text message and read through it twice. Jeremie would have cursed, had it not been that Aelita was standing right next to him. He didn't want her picking up any bad habits.

"Jeremie, what's wrong?" asked Aelita, noting his troubled expression.

"Now Ulrich decides to trust Yumi," growled Jeremie.

"You mean, they aren't mad over William?" asked Aelita, startled.

"No," said Jeremie. "Ulrich knows Yumi doesn't care about William. It's about time, though."

"That plan is out the window," said Aelita.

"Not yet," said Jeremie. "We'll just have to improvise."