Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko

Author's Note: Well, it's been awhile. Sorry guys. I keep promising to update but life is so crazy. My friend inspired this one. Yeah I know, Ulrich is a little OOC, but I know that he'll get over his shyness eventually.

So enjoy and please review! :)

Without Music

It was hard to say when things started changing. Maybe it was last week, when we held gazes too long, or a month ago when our hands touched for the briefest of moments…

I could maybe it to death. The point was, things had changed between us. And, I was oddly happy about it.

Sure, there was still that awkwardness at moments, like when he seemed so tempted to close off the short distance between us and prove his feelings with a kiss, or victory hugs in Lyoko that lasted a second or two too long.

But, I liked those moments. The awkwardness was accompanied by butterflies, by that twisted knot in the stomach that sounds painful but really isn't. I suppose Aelita was right when she told me eventually I would fall for Ulrich Stern.

And eventually he would catch me.

I had been waiting for that moment for almost a month now. For, even if I had come to terms with my feelings, I had promised myself that Ulrich was to make the first move. So, patiently, I waited.

The day came unexpectedly. In fact, it was so normal I had no reason to suspect anything to happen. It was spring break at Kadic and Ulrich had stayed on campus, alone. Jeremie had returned to see his family and taken Aelita with him and Odd had gone to Paris with his uncle. So naturally, I went to Kadic every day to keep Ulrich company.

Jeremie had worked out a system in case of a Lyoko attack, but so far things had been quiet. I was thankful for that. Today, I made Ulrich go to a clear-out sale with me at my favorite punk clothing store. He hadn't seemed super excited, but he had agreed to go, which I was thankful for.

He carried my bag to the car, smiling as he told me some soccer story. I was only partially paying attention. My mind was overwhelmed with how right this felt, us being together, doing stuff like shopping or just hanging out or skateboarding. It felt right.

That thought was a little scary.

"Yumi?"

He pulled me from my thoughts. "Hmm?" I asked, confused.

The sky was overcast and it was growing dark. The store was on the verge of closing for the night, so there were only a few cars left in the parking lot. I unlocked the car, which is what Ulrich had wanted, and he put my bag in the back.

"It's pretty out," I muttered, leaning against the car instead of getting in. Ulrich closed the door and stood beside me, hands in his pockets. "It is," he agreed.

I'm not sure how long we stood there, leaning against my rusty old car and staring at the stars that were beginning to fleck across the sky, but the time felt so short. Finally, he reached out his hand and took mine, pulling me out into the middle of the empty lot.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused but holding back laughter. He was acting very un-Ulrich, and though I was confused, I was enjoying it.

"Let's dance."

"What? Here?"

He nodded. I had never really seen Ulrich dance; at the school dances, we often stood against a wall and made fun of Sissi and she tried in vain to get Ulrich to dance, or argued feverishly with whatever date she did bring.

We were standing in the middle of the empty line of parking spaces. "There's no music." I argued again.

And he looked into my eyes, and his eyes spoke so much he scarcely needed his words. "We don't need music."

That's when I realized he loved me too.

We started awkwardly; Ulrich, apparently just now realizing what he had just asked, was too shy to grab my hips. And although things with him had been slightly less weird, dancing with him did surprise me. Finally, we managed to close off the distance between us and sway in a quasi-synchronized pattern.

The staff stared at us in confusion as they walked out to their cars almost half an hour later, the store dark and locked up for the night. But Ulrich and I just continued our erratic, unplanned, uneven, and random dancing.

It was the greatest night of my life.