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Ulrich hadn’t planned on liking Odd when he first met him. He didn’t want a roommate because that would mean he would lose the one bit of privacy he had at Kadic. He didn’t want friends. He wanted to be left alone so he could study. All he wanted to do was live a normal life and get good grades so he could one day make his parents proud.
But then, Odd changed everything.
Odd walked right into his life and refused to go unnoticed. It was hard not to acknowledge Odd with all the purple he wore and the streak of purple in his blonde hair. Odd weaseled his way into his life and made no plans to leave anytime soon. It was right when Ulrich thought that his life couldn’t get any worse that he got roped into Jeremie’s nonsense about the supercomputer and Lyoko.
Yet, it was because of Lyoko that Ulrich stopped looking at Odd as a nuisance and as something more. Ulrich just wanted to virtualize Odd’s dog on Lyoko to get back at him for being obnoxious, but Odd ended up being transferred instead. It was when he heard Odd cry out in pain from being attacked by one of the monsters that he realized he didn’t want Odd to leave.
He didn’t want anything happening to Odd.
Ulrich was barely thinking when he made Jeremie transfer him to Lyoko. The only thought in his mind was that he couldn’t let anything happen to Odd. They had only known each other for a day but it was long enough for Ulrich to know he had feelings for the blonde. It was long enough for him to know that he had to protect his danger prone roommate.
He had never felt so relieved to see Odd, even if he was dressed up like a giant purple cat. Odd ran right into his arms like he belonged there. Ulrich remembered how Odd was crying into his ear about how he was so scared that those cockroaches were going to get him. He remembered how the blonde felt trembling in his arms. He just wanted his arms to be a place for Odd to feel safe in, and he didn’t understand why.
He remembered how devastating it was to watch Odd get devirtualized. Ulrich had never felt such a feeling of terror when Odd turned into a wire frame, disappearing in pixels in the wind. Ulrich felt so many emotions hitting him all at once. Fear. Sadness. Anger. These emotions continued to swirl around within him until he finally snapped. He destroyed the block monster that had taken Odd away from him. He felt good knowing he had avenged Odd, but he still felt empty inside knowing that Odd wasn’t by his side.
It was when he was distracted by his small victory that Ulrich was struck. He felt himself devirtualizing, but he wasn’t scared. He had a small smile on his face when he realized that he was going to the same place as Odd. He was going to be reunited with the small blonde soon enough. He didn’t understand why the potential thought of dying and seeing Odd made him happy.
But, he didn’t die.
Ulrich was surprised that he was back in the factory. He stumbled out of the pod, rubbing at his head. He was confused when he heard someone else groaning nearby. He slowly looked up and that’s when he felt his world piece itself back together. Odd was laying on the ground moaning in pain. Ulrich was about to run to the blonde but he could hear Sissi and Jeremie screaming from the room below them.
The brunette went into hero mode. He sprinted past Odd and climbed down the ladder. He was not expecting Jeremie to be held captive by a live wire. Ulrich grabbed a piece of a metal board and slashed at the live wire. He immediately felt electricity running through his entire being, causing him to cry out in pain. He fell to the ground along with his metal board. He could hear the live wire cackling behind him. He knew that he was going to die for real this time.
He braced himself for the massive volts of electricity. He waited for the pain, but it never came. Instead, he heard someone slash at the live wire. He whipped around and gasped at the sight before him. Odd had used the metal board to finish what Ulrich had started. There was a grin on Odd’s face as he chopped the wire in half.
“I told you that by the end of the day you wouldn’t be able to do without me!”
Odd was right.
After that day, Ulrich didn’t know how he had gone through life without him. After the first trip to Lyoko they were inseparable. Ulrich would even help Odd style his hair in the morning to help him keep the Lyoko look. He loved standing behind Odd in the bathroom styling the back of his hair. Ulrich would poke his head over Odd’s shoulder and he would smile at him. He loved it when Odd would finally notice him in the mirror, giggling back at him.
They were developing feelings for one another and they had been dancing around each other for months, until one day when XANA found a way to directly attack humans. Ulrich and Odd had gotten into a fight the night before. The blonde was being obnoxious as he listened to some music he had downloaded from the web. Ulrich just wanted to study for his test but Odd refused to let him have some peace and quiet.
Ulrich snapped.
He had never raised his voice to Odd before so it immediately scared the small blonde. He had yelled at Odd and dared to call him selfish. He was so wrapped up in how angry he was that he couldn’t study that he didn’t even see the tears pooling in Odd’s eyes. Ulrich had left the room and slammed the door on his way out.
It wasn’t until the next morning that Ulrich and Jeremie found Odd in a comatose state in their room. Ulrich remembered being at a loss for words. He watched Odd get taken into an ambulance on a gurney. Every fiber of his being was telling him to follow the blonde into the ambulance. He didn’t hesitate as he ran towards the automobile and jumped inside. The principal had tried to stop him but he shook him off.
“I’m staying with Odd.”
He blamed himself for what happened to Odd. He had thoughts in his head that he couldn’t ignore. Each one told him that Odd wouldn’t be in a coma if he had just stayed in their room. Each thought told him that Odd was going to die because he couldn’t control his temper. Ulrich could hardly hear Jeremie trying to convince him that what happened to Odd wasn’t his fault.
He didn’t believe Jeremie for a second.
The only thing that gave him a small feeling of comfort was knowing that going to Lyoko was the only way to save Odd. He remembered running his fingers through Odd’s blonde locks before he left, vowing to save him. He had never run so fast to the factory before. He was solely driven by the hope that he could return to the past and make things right with Odd.
He felt tears prick at his eyes as thoughts in the back of his mind told him that if he was too late then he would go the rest of his life never confessing his feelings to Odd. He would go the rest of his life never hearing that high pitched voice echoing off the walls. He would go the rest of his life never feeling that warm energy wash over him, filling him with happiness he had never felt before. Ulrich would go the rest of his life never knowing what it felt like to love Odd.
When the return to the past hit, Ulrich opened his eyes to find that he was sitting in front of his desk. He had books and endless pages of notes sprawled out on his desk. There was a lone lamp shining down on everything like a spotlight. Ulrich’s eyes widened when he realized the return to the past had worked. It was right when he thought things were back to normal that he realized he didn’t hear Odd’s music blaring in the background.
He waited a few minutes just in case Odd needed a moment to realize that they were safe, but he still didn’t hear any music. Ulrich never thought he would miss the sound of Odd’s loud music, but that music was what he was looking for. He knew that if he could hear that damn music then he knew that Odd was back. He would know that Odd was okay.
But, there was nothing.
He slammed a fist on the desk in frustration. He was too late. They didn’t deactivate the tower in time to save Odd. The blonde's heart was beating slow when he had left so he knew it was a matter of time before it stopped beating, overall. He stood up abruptly, not caring that his chair was flung backwards. He turned around and that’s when he felt all the air leave his lungs.
Ulrich felt like the world was moving in slow motion when he felt two small arms wrap around his neck. His eyes were wide as he realized that he wasn’t alone in the room. His vision was already blurry from the tears in his eyes but now his vision was obscured by spiked up blonde hair with a streak of purple. He could see a pair of headphones lying on the floor, as if they had been tossed to the side when something more desirable came along. He finally felt like he could breathe when he heard that familiar squeaky voice.
“You saved me, Ulrich.”
He couldn’t bring himself to wrap his arms around Odd, in fear of that this moment wasn’t real. He was shaking as he thought that all those return to the pasts had finally drove him mad. He thought that he had finally lost it and now he was seeing things. He must have been imagining all of this. There was no way someone as unlucky as Ulrich had made it in time to save Odd.
The blonde removed himself from Ulrich. He had tears streaming down his face as he smiled at the brunette. He moved his hands so that they were cradling Ulrich’s face. Ulrich’s breath was shaky as he felt those warm hands on his skin. There was no way that any of this was happening.
The blonde could tell that there was utter disbelief in those chocolate orbs. Odd let out a watery laugh as he said softly, “It’s me, Ulrich… it’s really me. I’m here with you. I thought I would never see you again. I thought I would die never being able to see you or tell you I’m sorry for never making things easy for you… but, you saved me, Ulrich… you saved me.”
Ulrich’s hand was trembling as he reached up and grabbed Odd’s. He slowly brought the hand to his lips and kissed his open palm. Odd choked back a sob when he felt those soft lips touch his hand. He had a sad smile on his face as they looked each other in the eyes. It seemed that they were in a silent agreement that they would be lost without the other. Ulrich pulled Odd’s hand away from his lips.
“I would’ve walked through hell for you.”
That was all Odd needed to hear to launch himself at Ulrich and kiss him. Finally, Ulrich felt like this moment was real. He quickly wrapped his arms around Odd’s slender waist and drew him close so that there was no space between them. Odd had tears pouring down his face as he kissed the man he never thought he would see again. Ulrich knew he was no saint, but kissing Odd sure felt like Heaven to him.
It was after that killer music incident that they finally established their relationship. It was the push they needed to realize that life was too short to keep dancing around each other. It was what they needed to realize that if they both wanted this then they should just go for it. There was no use waiting for the right moment to make a move when it was always the right time.
They were inseparable before they had gotten together, but now even more so. Ulrich thought he knew Odd before, but he realized he didn’t pay attention to every little detail that made Odd who he was. It was in these moments of observation that Ulrich found all the little things that made him love Odd more and more.
Ulrich never really noticed it before, but Odd seemed to always have trouble falling asleep. Some nights, Odd thought he could tire himself out by playing video games, but it always made falling asleep harder. Other nights, he would toss and turn until he let out an overly aggravated sigh that always made Ulrich laugh. It wasn’t until Ulrich suggested that they sleep together that Odd didn’t struggle to fall asleep. The brunette found that Odd liked to cuddle while under the sheets, which seemed to help him fall asleep faster.
Odd loved a wide variety of music, most of which would bother Ulrich to no ends. He loved pop and rock songs, as well as finding the most absurd dance moves to use while listening to songs. Ulrich would always ask what dance style he was trying to do and Odd would always respond with the same word.
“Freestyle!”
As time passed, Ulrich found that Odd liked the simple things, despite having a larger than life personality. He adored the love notes that Ulrich would write to him. Odd always thought that hand writing the notes always made it more personable. It hit harder when he knew that Ulrich had taken the time to write down all his thoughts and feelings onto paper. Ulrich could struggle to talk about his feelings out loud, but writing them down on paper felt easier. He noticed that Odd had a hard time accepting a good compliment, so Ulrich had to remind him over and over that he was beautiful.
When it was their first Christmas together Ulrich thought that Odd’s favorite part about the holiday would be receiving gifts, but he was wrong. Odd loved to give gifts even more than he liked receiving them. He nearly went broke making sure he got his family and friends nothing but the best presents. Odd might have complained about everyone at some point, but it was in this moment that Ulrich really saw just how much he loved his whole family and all of their friends.
Ulrich and Odd continued to grow with each other after their friend group finally shut down the supercomputer. Odd was fearful that everyone would drift apart if there was no Lyoko, but Ulrich assured him that not having Lyoko would mean that they have more time to spend with each other. With the supercomputer down, that meant that they could all become closer. Odd thought about it for a moment before he started to see it how Ulrich did.
The brunette made sure he didn’t take this new era of peace for granted. He would spontaneously pull Odd to him and kiss him, just because he could. They finally had the opportunity to take their relationship to the next level, loving each other to a much more intimate and passionate extent. They learned how to love each other on a much deeper plane.
Ulrich learned that Odd was highly receptive to touch. He needed Ulrich to be touching his body in some way, as if he needed to know that the taller male wasn’t leaving. Ulrich had learned that he was highly receptive to the sound of Odd’s voice. While Odd needed to be touched to know Ulrich was there, the brunette needed to hear the blonde to know he was there.
While this was a time of peace, that did not mean there were no hardships. It was when they were close to graduating from Kadic that Kiwi had fallen while running up a hill. Ulrich remembered how Odd ran to Kiwi when he heard that strangled whine. Odd was crying as he looked at the crumpled mess that was his beloved pet. Kiwi had broken his neck and the veterinarian had no way to help him, thus leaving one option to relieve the dog of his suffering.
Odd had to put Kiwi down.
All of the Lyoko warriors were by his side when the fateful day came. Odd was holding Kiwi’s tiny paw in his hand as he cried. He had a sad smile on his face as each of his friends said their most memorable moments with Kiwi. It was after each friend told their story that they realized just how important Kiwi was to them, and how many times he had saved their lives.
When the injection was made, Aelita turned into Jeremie and cried. A stray tear fell down Yumi’s face as she saw Odd sobbing on the table. She kneeled down and pulled both Ulrich and Odd into her arms. She knew that this was something Ulrich couldn’t do alone. She gasped in surprise when Jeremie and Aelita joined them on the floor. As the long beep of the heart monitor filled the room, so did their combined cries.
“Goodbye, my little diggity dog.”
Odd struggled with accepting Kiwi’s passing. He spent a lot of time in his bed. He wasn’t sleeping much, nor was he really speaking to anyone. His eyes were always red and puffy. He didn’t smile, not even for Ulrich. His friends would try to come in and talk to him but he would only give one word answers. He didn’t look or feel much like himself these days.
But, how could anyone after losing their best friend?
It was the day before graduation and Odd was sitting in the nearly empty room. He had his back against the wall as he sat on the bed. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees. Odd had never looked so small to Ulrich before. The brunette sat beside him and started to run his fingers through those blonde locks. Neither of them made a comment about how Odd’s hair was losing its spiked up look the more Ulrich ran his fingers through it. Slowly, Odd leaned his head on his lover’s shoulder and silently cried.
Odd’s smile didn’t reach his ears when he posed for pictures the next day at graduation. He tried his best to be happy for himself and his friends but the loss of Kiwi was still fresh. Yet, he would have to admit that he felt better when he was with his friends. It felt impossible when he was all alone, but the more time he spent with everyone the more he realized getting through the feelings of pain and loss was possible.
After graduation, Ulrich and Odd attended the same university while their other friends attended colleges close by. Ulrich and Odd were roommates at the university. As they were setting up their new dorm they couldn’t help but smile at each other. It was such a nostalgic feeling to be decorating a dorm together. It reminded them of their time at Kadic.
Odd majored in Art, where Ulrich was able to watch him flourish. Ulrich decided to major in Business Management with a concentration in Sports Management, which surprisingly made his parents happy. He remembered the day he told his parents about not majoring in something in the Medical field. He was terrified that his parents would pull him out of the university, but his father was proud. His father liked the idea that he was combining business and sports. Ulrich felt like a weight had been taken off his shoulders that day.
Odd had been the one to push him to choose that major, and he was the one to push Ulrich to try out for the university’s soccer team. Ulrich never thought he was much good at anything but Odd could always see his potential. Odd was there to drag him to try outs. He had even told the coach that Ulrich wanted to try out but he was too shy and insecure to say it himself. While Ulrich was embarrassed that Odd had done that, he was thankful.
Ulrich had went on to make the team as a walk on. He would become the star striker for the university, scoring at least one goal a game. He would look out in the bleachers after he scored and he would smile at the people in the front row. Yumi and Odd were up on their feet cheering while Aelita and Jeremie sitting down clapping for him. It made Ulrich happy to see that their friendship only grew stronger as they went down their separate paths to further their education.
Time seemed to fly by faster in college than it did at Kadic. Odd was finally shining as one of the top Art students. His art was getting better with each passing day, while also displaying a keen eye for fashion. Ulrich would smile as he watched Odd. He would sit down on the floor with his legs crossed as he painted. It had taken some time but Odd had painted the Lyoko warriors laughing together. He presented his art to the school and it was hung in the main hallway.
The Lyoko warriors were there to see the painting hung.
Odd and Ulrich were prepared for their lives after graduation. They moved into a nice apartment in France. Odd thought it was convenient that Jeremie and Aelita moved into a room down the hall, as well as Yumi moving in across from them with a boy she started dating in college, William. It felt like Kadic all over again, and that feeling of familiarity was something they all needed as they began the next chapter of their lives.
Ulrich had found a job in a large company and was quickly working his way up the system. It was right when the company was in need of Graphic Design experts that Ulrich recommended two incredibly brilliant people. Jeremie and Aelita were hired shortly after and proved to be some of the most intelligent people the CEO of the company had ever seen.
Yumi was a successful business woman who advocated for female empowerment, but she was in need of someone who had an eye for fashion and art. That’s when Yumi turned to Odd with a job. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with his best friend while also still doing what he loved. Yumi did have one request, though.
“Don’t use too much purple, Odd.”
“Yumi, do you realize who you’re talking to?”
“Grimace?”
“Oh, ha, ha! Very funny!”
Years had flown by and everyone was content with the way their lives were. Everyone was close to each other, but also just far enough away to give each other their own space. William didn’t understand it, but the Lyoko warriors would dress up like they would in Lyoko every Halloween to remember how they had forged their friendship. William was curious as to why Jeremie was never dressed up in an absurd outfit, but he never commented on it.
It was in the moments when the Lyoko warriors were all together for friend’s nights that they could reminisce on everything they had been through. They had almost died countless times but they were grateful for Lyoko for bringing them all together. Without that virtual world, they wouldn’t be as close as they are today. Ulrich smiled as he looked at everyone around him.
Ulrich opened his eyes and was brought into the present.
He was standing at the alter in a black tuxedo, waiting for his bride to be. Everyone in the room stood up when the doors opened. Ulrich turned around and he felt the air leave his lungs as he stared at the person he was going to spend the rest of his life with. He smiled as he saw the most beautiful man in the world walking towards him in a white tuxedo with a purple vest underneath.
As Odd walked down the aisle with his father, all Ulrich could see was the blonde throughout the years. He saw Odd with his hair down in the back with a smirk on his face, just like when he had first met the blonde. He saw Odd in his purple cat outfit on Lyoko with his hair spiked up, giving him that “Lyoko look,” as he had once called it.
Ulrich saw Odd with a Kadic graduation gown on with a cap that refused to stay still on top of his spiked up hair. He saw Odd a little taller with a rainbow of colors of paint on his face as he grinned back at him. He saw Odd wearing his soccer jersey with a black line drawn under each eye, as if he was a soccer player at the university.
As Odd got closer to him, he saw him in the university’s graduation gown. He didn’t bother with wearing the cap this time around so he opted for holding it in front of his chest. He saw Odd with measuring tape around his neck, just waiting for Yumi to ask him to get some measurements on model. Now, he saw Odd dressed in a tuxedo on his wedding day, but the smile he was wearing looked better than anyone’s outfit in the entire room.
He blinked and Odd was being handed off to him by his father.
Ulrich and Odd looked into each other’s eyes and they saw everything. They saw every struggle they had went through together, be it on Earth or in Lyoko. They saw every moment they laughed together. They saw every moment that they cried to one another. They saw every moment where they had fallen in love with each other all over again.
They saw the future when they looked at each other.
The brunette reached out his hand and assisted Odd in walking up the stairs. Everyone took their seats and watched as Ulrich held both of his lover’s hands. Odd’s five sisters had been his bridesmaids while Aelita and Yumi were his maids of honor. He knew he could have groomsmen, but Odd was a diva. If he was having bridesmaids and maids of honor that’s what he was going to have. Period.
Ulrich didn’t have much family so he had Jeremie as his best man and William was more than happy to be his solo groomsman. They kept their circle tight throughout the years but they were happy that they let William in. The Lyoko warriors would laugh and say how they wished he went to Kadic so that they could’ve had an extra man to help out.
The two males were smiling at each other as the priest started talking. It was obvious that they weren’t listening. All Ulrich could think about was how he somehow got lucky enough to marry Odd. Ulrich had found someone who he could grow with. He found someone who he could share many of life’s firsts with, while also realizing they would be each other's one and only for many experiences.
Ulrich let out a lovesick sigh when Odd closed his eyes and giggled. Odd really was the best thing that he ever had. Ulrich found that Odd really didn’t need much. He was a rather simple human. All he needed was someone to support him and give him a safe haven at the end of the day. All he needed was someone who would love him unconditionally, and that’s just what Ulrich did.
He’ll love you, if you love him like that.