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Ulrich cried out as he felt the pain from the monster’s laser attack. He rolled back a few times before he crashed into a tree. He was sure he was done for until a rock dropped from the sky and onto the monster.
He snapped his head to the left and that’s when he saw Yumi rushing towards him. She reached down and grabbed him, yanking him away before he could get hit.
As they were running, Yumi gasped and fell to the ground. Ulrich’s eyes widened as he saw that she had been struck in the back by one of the lasers.
Ulrich reached for his sword but he wouldn’t be able to pull it out in time to stab the cube monster. Ulrich grit his teeth as he realized that he was going to be sent back to the real world after this hit.
“Laser arrow!”
Ulrich watched as an arrow was sent right into the last monster’s target, causing it to blow up. Odd flipped in front of Ulrich and Yumi, sending them a grin over his shoulder.
Ulrich was always happy to see his lover but he was extra happy to see him this time, considering how he wouldn’t be standing here if Odd hadn’t come to his rescue. That could only mean that Odd had safely delivered Aelita to the tower to save the day.
The three friends collected themselves and raced to the tower to be sure that Aelita had made it inside without any trouble. They slid to a halt when they saw that Aelita was just standing in front of the tower.
Odd was about to say something until he realized that Jeremy must be talking to her individually at the moment. Whatever he was saying to her must have been extremely important if it stopped her in front of the tower.
Slowly, Aelita turned to her friends. There was a hopeful look in her eyes as she stated, “Jeremy thinks he found a way to let me be a part of your world… if only for a brief moment of time. He’s very hopeful that this will work and it will give us the chance to finally be together in person.”
Odd watched as Ulrich and Yumi ran to Aelita, cheering in her ear so that Jeremy would be able to hear their excitement. This was the moment that Aelita and Jeremy were waiting for. They had dreamed of this moment since the first time they met.
Jeremy longed for the day he would be able to hold Aelita or even see her standing in front of him. Everyone knew that this was something that they needed.
Yet, Odd couldn’t help but notice that Aelita didn’t look as happy as she should be.
“Aelita… why do you look so sad?”
“Odd…”
“Aelita… what’s the catch?”
If she could have virtual tears in her eyes Odd was sure they would be there, begging to be released.
She had a sad smile on her face as she confessed, “There is a catch to this. If I leave Lyoko then there won’t be anyone linked to the towers to purify them. I’ll need someone to allow me to transfer my link to the tower to them. I won’t be able to materialize if I’m still linked here.”
Yumi and Ulrich looked to each other and exclaimed, “I’ll do it.” Aelita shook her head and started to try to calm both of them down. Yumi and Ulrich wanted to be the bigger person and sacrifice a week of their time for Aelita and Jeremy.
Neither of them were listening to Aelita when she was trying to say only a person with full health could stay behind and how she didn’t know if any of them qualified.
She assumed that each of them had gotten hit at some point while they were in Lyoko. Odd took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do.
“I’ll stay, Aelita.”
“Odd…”
“I’m the only one who can stay.”
“I can’t ask you to stay here.”
“I know. That’s why I’m choosing to stay.”
Aelita wasn’t the one to reach forward and grab Odd’s shoulders. Ulrich held him and stared into the eyes of his lover.
After finding his words, he whispered, “Odd, you don’t have to do this. I can go back to the real world and Jeremy can send me back so that I can take her place. You don’t have to be the one to stay here. You don’t… I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Odd was about to respond when the tower started glowing red. Odd gasped and grabbed Ulrich’s face.
Odd had a desperate look in his eyes as he cried, “I want to do this, Ulrich. I can’t help everyone… but I can help them. I can do this for Jeremy and Aelita so I need you to let me do this… we’re running out of time, Ulrich… I have to stay.”
Ulrich knew for a fact Odd would’ve been crying right now in the real world. His voice was cracking in some parts as he whispered, “I might be in Lyoko but just remember you’ll be with me… always and forever in this heart of mine.”
“But, I-“
“Don’t forget, Ulrich…”
“Odd-“
“I am yours… I am yours, forever.”
Odd leaned in and placed a chaste kiss upon his lover’s lips. Ulrich wanted to pull him back. He wanted to tell Odd that he didn’t have to be the one to stay here. He didn’t want Odd to be stuck here all alone with no one to talk to and no one to protect him.
He wanted to be selfish and tell Odd that he couldn’t do this but he understood why Odd was doing this. He was doing this for his friends.
For his family.
Odd walked over to Aelita and nodded to her. She launched herself at Odd, wrapping her arms around his neck as she thanked him for doing this for her. They gripped each other tight.
Aelita would never be able to thank him enough for what he was doing for her. There was never going to be enough words in the dictionary that could emphasize how grateful she was.
When they pulled away, Aelita grabbed his hands. The two of them started glowing as Aelita began to transfer her power into him, “You won’t have any way of attacking or defending yourself, Odd. You won’t have the powers you’ve grown accustomed to. All you’ll be able to do is create virtual life the way I can. You will be able to purify the towers. You should stay inside the towers until it is absolutely necessary to leave to purify another one.”
“Don’t worry, princess! I’ve got this!”
“Thank you, Odd.”
When the light vanished, Odd removed himself from his friend. He looked down at himself, noticing nothing different. Odd looked to his friends and sent them a smile before he turned to enter the tower.
Just as he was going to enter, he felt someone grab him from behind. He gasped and that’s when he felt a pair of lips on his own. Odd’s eyes closed and he melted into the kiss. Ulrich and Odd looked at each other one last time.
“I love you, Odd.”
“I love you, too. Come back to me soon, alright?”
“Next time, I’ll be your knight in shining armor.”
“Ulrich… you already are.”
Ulrich kissed his lover’s forehead and let him go. He took a step towards Odd but stopped when he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder. Yumi sent him a sad smile as she held her friend in place.
The three friends watched as Odd held his arms out and entered the tower. They only hoped that Odd would be safe by himself.
Odd gasped as he entered the tower. He had only been inside the tower a few times but this time felt different. He felt like he belonged here. He felt comforted by the sound of the gentle beeping noises as he walked into the center of the circle.
He closed his eyes as he felt himself being lifted to the platform above him. He opened his eyes and walked over to the holographic screen. He placed his paw-like hand on the screen, smiling as he saw his name pop up.
Odd.
Code_
Code
Lyoko
He could’ve sworn he felt a tear falling down his cheek as he watched all the light from the tower fall into the abyss below. He shook his head, silently telling himself that there was no way he was crying.
He was doing this for his friends so that they could be happy. He sunk to his knees and held himself as the white light surrounded him and brought everyone into the past.
He could do this for them.
Ulrich wasn’t expecting to feel so heartbroken when he looked to Odd’s scanner tube and saw Aelita stepping out instead of his lover. He would have to admit that he felt happy to see Jeremy and Aelita embrace for the first time.
Ulrich bit his lip as he watched them sink to the floor, sobbing as they held each other for dear life. Ulrich knew how much they needed to be together. He could only imagine how difficult it must be to fall in love with someone in a virtual reality.
But now that was him.
Ulrich walked into the elevator so he could go home. As soon as the doors to the elevator shut, he backed against the wall and slid to the ground. He knew he should be happy for Jeremy and Aelita but he couldn’t stop this selfish feeling that was slowly consuming him.
He wanted Odd back.
He wanted to push Aelita back into the scanner and tell her to take the link back so he could have Odd again… but he knew how selfish and unfair that would be.
Ulrich couldn’t imagine how it would feel to give Jeremy just a taste of what it was like to have Aelita, just to take her away and send her right back to Lyoko. Jeremy deserved this, even if it could put a strain on Ulrich and Odd’s relationship.
Ulrich shook his head and blinked away the tears that threatened to spill down his face. He couldn’t cry… he wouldn’t cry. If Odd could stay strong in Lyoko then he could stay strong out here.
Part of him wished that he stayed to congratulate Jeremy and Aelita about their reunion but he wasn’t strong enough at the moment.
He always told himself he was only strong because he had Odd by his side. Odd was his hype man, his cheerleader, his biggest fan… the one person he could always count on to support him and have his back.
Without Odd, he felt vulnerable.
He felt like if Sissi was to take a jab at him, he would take it. Normally, he wouldn’t hesitate to counter back but now that he didn’t have Odd to be his peanut gallery, it wouldn’t feel the same.
Sometimes, he made those harsh remarks to Sissi because he knew it would make Odd laugh. Ulrich smiled to himself. Odd had a laugh that was far too contagious for his own good.
Ulrich couldn’t even begin to comprehend what this meant for going to Lyoko now. Before, he had Odd with him protecting Aelita but now Odd was the one in need of protecting. He would be going in one man down now.
He would have to be even stronger for Odd now. He could hear Odd’s cries of pain echoing through his head and he refused to hear Odd scream like that now that he couldn’t defend himself. He needed to be stronger for Odd… he needed to be more.
Walking back into his shared room and seeing Odd’s empty bed almost made Ulrich topple over as his heart ached. He closed the door behind him and stumbled into Odd’s bed. His shoulders were shaking when Kiwi jumped onto the bed.
The little dog wormed his way under Ulrich’s arm and whimpered. It was almost like Kiwi knew that his owner was not coming home tonight. This would be the first time Ulrich would miss hearing Odd’s snoring. Kiwi whined as tears silently fell down Ulrich’s face.
“Yeah… I miss him, too, Kiwi.”
Ulrich felt empty when he woke up and Odd wasn’t in his arms. He felt like he was missing something. It just didn’t feel right to finally get a good night’s sleep. It didn’t feel the same to not have to pull out ear plugs in the morning.
He let out a deep breath as he got out of bed and moved to Odd’s drawer to feed Kiwi his breakfast. Ulrich shook his head with a smile, Odd’s probably laughing in Lyoko right now thinking about how he had to take care of Kiwi for a week.
That’s when it hit him.
Ulrich ran out of the room and sprinted down to Jeremy’s room. He didn’t even bother knocking, which in retrospect, he should’ve knocked but he would apologize later.
Luckily, Jeremy and Aelita were just waking up but they were still taken off guard by the sudden, and loud, intrusion. Before either of them could respond, Ulrich rushed to the computer and threw the head set on.
Ulrich moved the microphone close to his mouth as he called frantically, “Odd? Odd! Can you hear me, Odd? I know you’re probably figuring things out but, please, answer me! I need to know you’re okay!”
Jeremy and Aelita were now behind Ulrich. They were starting to get worried as a few minutes went by and there was no screen with Odd’s head and shoulders popping up.
Jeremy reached down to put a hand on Ulrich’s shoulder, sighing as the brown haired male hung his head in defeat. No one knew what to say, especially when a screen with Odd’s head popped up and that high pitched voice bellowed through the room.
“Hey, guys! I was wondering when you’d call!”
Ulrich felt himself letting out a sigh of relief as he sunk back into the chair. He ran a hand through his hair in disbelief as he saw his lover’s beautiful face on the screen. Jeremy and Aelita were laughing at how Odd was grinning back at them.
He might have been digital but he looked extremely happy. The three of them were overjoyed to see that Odd was doing well, and that he was able to connect to the computer to talk to them. Aelita leaned in and smiled to her friend.
“How are things going in Lyoko so far?”
“Oh, things are great! The weather’s lovely this time of year!”
“Oh, Odd! But you haven’t felt any pulses from XANA?”
“Nothing so far, Aelita! The coast is clear!”
She let a sigh of relief wash over her. She was terrified that something would happen to Odd on the first night and they would be sleeping while he was crying for help.
Odd was so bright and cheerful that he helped to make her feel at ease regarding this situation. She mouthed the words, “thank you” to Odd, who winked back at her.
“And how are you feeling, Odd?”
“You could say I’m cooler than a pack of peppermints!”
Aelita giggled back to her friend, who had a cheeky little smile on his face. She wasn’t the only one who was happy to see that Odd was still as cheery as ever.
Jeremy was pleased to see that Odd was able to connect to his computer so soon and it appeared that his personality was still intact, not that he thought Odd wouldn’t continue to be himself.
Ulrich felt himself relaxing more as he allowed himself to take in the sight of his lover’s digital head and shoulders.
Jeremy made the suggestion to Aelita that he showed her where the girls bathroom was so she could take a shower. In reality, he wanted to give Ulrich some alone time with Odd so that he would have more peace of mind knowing his lover was safe in Lyoko.
Ulrich was smiling as he heard the door close behind Jeremy and Aelita. He would have to thank Jeremy later.
“Please, tell me you didn’t leave the tower.”
“Okay, I didn’t leave the tower!”
“Odd…”
“You told me to tell you I didn’t leave the tower!”
Ulrich rubbed his face with his hands in frustration. Odd rolled his eyes before continuing, “Ulrich, you can’t throw me into Lyoko for a whole night and not expect me to at least take a peek outside the tower! And you know that there’s no such thing as sleeping here or night time so what else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just wait around for you guys to wake up!”
“Just stay in the tower until-“
“Until, what? Until XANA attacks?”
This wasn’t how Ulrich was expecting them to use their alone time. Ulrich was just worried about him but Odd took it as him being a mother hen so now they were fighting.
Ulrich let out a deep sigh, noticing that Odd was looking back at him as if he had just realized they weren’t making the most of their alone time together. Odd was trying to avoid Ulrich’s gaze at this point.
“This isn’t going like you thought, huh?”
“I’m not mad at you, Odd.”
“I know you’re not...”
“Now I know how it feels to be Jeremy.”
Both of them let out sighs in unison. Ulrich looked at his lover as he said softly, “This sucks, Odd. I know you’re doing this because Jeremy needs this time with Aelita but I can’t help but feel… feel like…”
Odd had a gentle smile on his face as he realized Ulrich was struggling to make sense of his emotions and thoughts. Normally, he had Odd there to help figure these thoughts and feelings out but this time it was different.
Yet, Odd still wanted to be there for his lover as much as he could be. Odd’s voice sounded so soft yet encouraging as he spoke again.
“Feel like what? You can tell me, Ulrich.”
“Odd…”
“You can tell me anything.”
“Yeah… yeah, I know I can.”
It felt nice to know Odd still wanted to support him the best he could from Lyoko. Ulrich looked at the blonde as he confessed, “I feel like… I feel like I want you back here. I know it’s wrong to want Aelita to go back in there but it doesn’t feel right to not have you here… but we know Jeremy and Aelita need this… they deserve this.”
“Hey…”
That voice sounded so sweet to Ulrich, just like honey. There was the warmest smile on Odd’s face as he tilted his head. Ulrich knew that if they were in person, Odd’s hand would be on his face.
That’s how well he knew Odd. He knew from the sound of his voice what his movements would be. Odd was trying to show affection the best he could right now.
“I miss you, too, Ulrich.”
Ulrich shook his head with a smile. No one knew him better than Odd. No one else knew that despite all the words and emotions he was feeling, he missed Odd.
Everything he was trying to say was just him trying to silently tell Odd that he missed him. No one else would’ve heard that secret message but, somehow, Odd always heard it loud and clear.
Odd was absolutely wonderful.
Odd had shifted from a soft smile to a cheeky one. No doubt there was a light bulb lighting up above Odd's head.
He snickered to his lover, “Hey, Ulrich! You know what the best part about being stuck here in Lyoko is?”
“Odd-”
“Come on! Just guess!”
“I don’t know. What?”
“No school for a week!”
Ulrich was shaking his head as his lover’s laughter filled the room. It seemed that even being in Lyoko couldn’t stop Odd from commanding the room’s attention.
Odd was giggling to himself as Ulrich tried to think of a comeback but couldn’t think of one. He had to admit, having no school for a week really was a perk to being in Lyoko.
“Speaking of school, you should be going!”
“But what if-“
“I’ll send you a message, don’t worry!”
“It’s you, Odd… I’ll always worry.”
Odd was looking around as if he was thinking deeply. Ulrich chuckled as he heard Odd skeptically return, “I can’t tell if that’s supposed to be sweet or if you’re trying to say that I’m always getting into trouble… I’ll argue that I’m not trouble! Trouble always seems to find me!”
“Let’s hope trouble doesn’t find you today!”
The two of them were laughing together. Their combined laughter made the most beautiful music to Odd. Odd was the artist in their friend group. It was his job to find the beauty in everything, and he found the beauty in their laughter. It was the best sound he had ever heard. It made him want to always crack jokes just for the chance of laughing with his lover once more.
Ulrich and Odd said their goodbyes but the brown haired male couldn’t hide the sadness he felt as soon as he saw the blonde’s head disappear from the screen.
As Ulrich left the room, all he was thinking about was how he couldn’t wait to see Odd. He hoped he wouldn’t see Odd because of a XANA attack but these days XANA was unpredictable. But one thing was always predictable.
Trouble always seemed to find Odd.
Odd found it rather boring in Lyoko, especially when his lover had basically told him to not leave the tower unless absolutely necessary. Odd let out an exaggerated sigh as he flopped onto his back.
He stared up at the ceiling and wondered what he could do in this tower for fun. He wondered what Aelita did for fun when she was in the tower. He rolled his eyes when he remembered that she always had Jeremy to keep her company.
Jeremy would even skip classes so he could talk to Aelita but that was something Odd could not ask Ulrich to do for him, especially since Ulrich wasn’t doing well in Physics or Math.
Odd chuckled to himself as he remembered all the times he studied with Ulrich to try to help him get his grades up but Ulrich could never seem to get better than a B.
His smile softened as he thought about how he was only doing really well in classes because of Ulrich. It was Ulrich’s idea to have study dates. Odd only agreed to it because he ignored the study part and focused solely on the date part. He would do whatever Ulrich wanted if he said that it was going to be a date. He would do anything just to spend time with his lover.
Odd spent most of his time in Lyoko just reminiscing on his memories with Ulrich and his friends. Yet, he could only stay in his mind for so long before he needed to be more active.
Odd had more energy than the average human, despite his small stature. Sometimes, people wondered if Odd had ADHD with the amount of energy he had but he insisted this energy was all natural and that he could dance circles around the Energizer Bunny.
He shot to his feet and started searching through the holographic screen for something to do. He wondered what Aelita did on the screen but most of it seemed like scans of Lyoko. Odd yawned to himself as he scrolled through the endless scans and reports Aelita did.
Just when he thought that there was absolutely nothing for him to do until XANA attacked, his eyes caught something on the screen and a devilish smile etched onto his face.
“Now, that’s what I’m talking about!”
Meanwhile, everyone in the real world were starting to exit their classes. The Lyoko friends reunited in the cafeteria but it seemed like no one knew what to say as they all sat down together.
Aelita and Jeremy were nearly attached at the hip and overly preoccupied with each other but they didn’t have the words to speak when they locked eyes with Ulrich. Yumi sighed as she saw the lack of emotion on Ulrich’s face as he poked at his food with his fork.
After a few minutes, Ulrich felt like people were watching him. He lifted his head up and noticed that his friends had their eyes on him.
He sighed as he stated, “I know what you’re all going to say to me and I don’t want to hear it. I know you appreciate what Odd’s doing and I’m happy that Aelita is here but… I just miss Odd, okay?”
“Ulrich, I don’t mind going back to Lyoko and-“
“No!”
Everyone in the cafeteria was looking at their table at this point, due to Ulrich’s outburst. He looked around at everyone before shifting his attention back to his friends. He waited for all the other students to resume their eating before he let out a sigh he didn’t realize he was holding in.
He didn’t mean to shout but he just couldn’t stand to have Aelita pity him like that. He knew she meant well by offering to go back to Lyoko early but that’s not what he wanted.
Aelita was avoiding Ulrich’s gaze until he let out another sigh. He ran a hand through his hair before saying softly, “I didn’t mean to shout at you, Aelita, I’m sorry. I’d feel worse if I had you go back to Lyoko early just because I miss Odd… and to be honest, I don’t think Odd would want you to go back to Lyoko early, either. I’m pretty sure he’d be mad at me for that!”
He was laughing when he said his last sentence, which caused the rest of his friends to join in.
Yumi had a smile on her face as she added, “Yeah, you’d be in the dog house with Odd if you did that! You’d have to try to bunk with Kiwi in the drawer!”
Everyone was laughing at the thought of Ulrich bunking in the bottom drawer with Kiwi. Their laughter simmered down when Sissi marched her way over to them.
Aelita tilted her head in confusion as she saw Sissi had a smirk plastered on her face. She had a feeling Sissi wasn’t coming over here to flirt with Ulrich this time.
“So, Ulrich, where’s your boyfriend?”
“He-“
“Realized he’s not gay? Well, of course!”
“Sissi-“
The raven haired girl made Aelita sick to her stomach with how stuck up and rude she was.
Sissi continued to show no mercy as she picked at Ulrich, “Odd must have realized that he can’t compete with me so it’s not surprising how he finally saw he has no chance with boys so he went back to girls after the breakup! Now, since you’re single, Ulrich, we can be together! You may take me away now.”
Each of the friends stared at each other in utter disbelief. Sissi really convinced herself that just because Odd wasn’t here then that must have meant it was because he realized he was straight and broke up with Ulrich.
Aelita really wondered what was wrong with Sissi. Sure, she had heard stories from Jeremy about how horrible Sissi was but it was completely different to finally witness Sissi’s bullshit in person.
“He’s not worth your time, Ulrich!”
“What did you just say about Odd?”
“He’s a waste of time! Not worth it, Ulrich!”
Ulrich was about to stand up to lay into Sissi but someone beat him to it. Aelita rose to her feet and glared at Sissi, “I’ll have you know that the person you’re saying is a waste of time is my cousin and I won’t sit by and let you talk about Odd that way. He’s worth more of our time than you are. He’s thoughtful and kind and he's everything that you’re not. If you stay here talking badly about Odd then I don’t think you’ll like my bad side.”
Sissi was at a loss for words. She opted for crossing her arms and stomping off with a ‘humph.’ Aelita watched Sissi leave her field of vision before she sat back down, releasing a heavy sigh.
Jeremy wrapped an arm around her, whispering that she did a great job. Yumi gave a warm smile to the pinkette while Ulrich reached across the table and grabbed her hand.
“Thank you, Aelita.”
The friends spent the rest of their school day telling the same excuse for Odd’s absence: he had to go back to Italy for a family emergency.
It sounded believable and because it was a family emergency there would be no one who would want to dig deeper, as it was a personal matter. It seemed that the excuse was working and the questions about Odd’s absence started to decline.
Ulrich had never been happier to go to the factory after classes were done. He had a pep in his step as he raced across the bridge and into the building. He was the first on in the elevator, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for everyone else to catch up.
The three friends had never seen Ulrich so excited before and it was all because of Odd. It was all because he was going to be reunited with his lover.
Jeremy hustled out of the elevator as soon as it opened so that he could send his friends into Lyoko. Each of them ran into their scanners when the elevator opened for them again.
They could each hear Jeremy in their ears, “Scanner: Ulrich. Scanner: Yumi. Scanner: Aelita. Transfer: Ulrich. Transfer: Yumi. Transfer: Aelita.”
“Virtualization.”
The trio landed on their feet and looked around to see where Jeremy had sent them. They could see a tower a little ways in front of them. Ulrich had the brightest smile on his face as he led the charge to the tower.
Yet, the closer he got to the tower the more he could’ve sworn he was hearing music. He slid to a halt and stood in front of the tower, giving it a strange look. He heard Yumi and Aelita walk over to him. Yumi looked over at Ulrich.
“Are you hearing music, too?”
“Yeah… that’s weird.”
“We should go in to make sure Odd’s alright.”
They each nodded and entered the tower. They were welcomed by music blaring throughout the entire tower. Aelita covered her ears, Yumi rubbed her eyes as if to do a double take, and Ulrich just stood there with his jaw dropped as he watched Odd dance to the music.
It appeared that Odd hadn’t noticed that they were watching him. He was so lost in the dance he was making up that he didn’t notice them.
The song wasn’t really their style but Odd’s energy was contagious, causing Aelita to start smiling and moving along with him. Yumi was dumbfounded that Aelita was supporting Odd in this moment.
Ulrich thought Odd looked unbelievably happy and that was beautiful, but this wasn’t what he was supposed to be doing. Odd was here to take over Aelita’s responsibilities while she was in the real world.
Ulrich walked over to Odd with Yumi and Aelita trailing behind him. Odd was broken out of his dance when he felt someone grab his shoulder. Odd gasped and quickly turned off the music, giving a sheepish smile to his lover and friends.
Ulrich now had his arms crossed, which Yumi was starting to mimic. Odd gulped and nervously looked at the two of them. He knew he was in trouble.
“What do you think you’re doing, Odd?”
“Uh, checking the sound system! It works great!”
“Odd, you’re not here to fool around!”
“Well, yeah, but can’t I have some fun?”
The brunette rolled his eyes at his lover before answering coldly, “Odd, in case you haven’t noticed you’re here to make sure Lyoko isn’t being attacked by XANA! You’re supposed to be scanning Lyoko and trying to find any pulses from XANA! This might be a virtual world but this isn’t a game, Odd!”
Odd was glaring back at Ulrich as he countered, “I know what I have to do, Ulrich, but that doesn’t mean I have to do it being quiet! I’ve got everything under control here but the moment you see me having some fun you think I’m goofing off and that I’m not serious about this, but I am! It’s not the end of the world if I have a little fun, you know!”
Yumi and Aelita were backing away at this point, not wanting to be involved in this fight. Even Jeremy could be heard gulping in their ears, clearly terrified to interject to tell them that there wasn’t time for them to be arguing like this.
There might not be any attacks from XANA at the moment but there could be one soon if XANA was aware of them being virtualized to visit Odd.
Ulrich was absolutely furious as he shouted at the smaller male, “It’s not the end of the world?! Odd, it could be the end of the world if XANA attacks and you’re not paying attention to know that! I can’t believe you! I knew you were selfish, Odd, but I didn’t think you were selfish enough to endanger the whole world!”
The brunette was expecting Odd to yell back at him but he didn’t. Instead, Odd looked down at his feet, finding them much more interesting to look at than his lover.
Odd had heard that he was selfish one too many times now. It seemed that nearly each of his friends had called him selfish at one point. He wondered if it was really true. He was just trying to have fun. He didn’t realize he was being selfish.
Odd felt virtual tears stinging at his eyes but he refused to blink, knowing that they would fall down his face and become virtualized if he did.
He continued to look at the ground as he whispered, “So, you really think I’m selfish, huh? You’ve all told me that at some point but I didn’t want to believe you. Maybe I am selfish… I guess I wouldn’t know if I was.”
The samurai’s eyes softened, finally realizing that he had deeply hurt his lover. Ulrich reached a hand out to grab Odd, but the blonde backed away from him.
Odd was glaring through the tears as he snapped, “Well, I must be pretty selfish to have you three here protecting me! If I’m so selfish then just leave! I don’t need your help! I don’t need you here!”
“Odd, wait!”
"You forfeit all rights to my heart!"
He sprinted out of the tower on all fours, making him much faster than the trio he left behind. The three friends raced after him, hoping that he wouldn’t get far. As soon as they exited the tower they slid to a stop.
Odd was on his knees making a hand sign and making the same sound Aelita would make when she was creating virtual life. The three of them gasped as they saw that Odd had created a dome around the tower so that they couldn’t follow him. Ulrich screamed as he punched at the wall.
“DAMN IT!”
Odd didn’t know where he was going but he knew he had to get away from them. If all they were going to see him as was selfish then there was no point in staying around them. He must be selfish for wanting them to protect him.
Well, he wouldn’t bother them anymore. He would be sure he got into a toxic tower all by himself. He didn’t need them here… but he wanted them here. He felt a tear fall down his face and disappear in seconds.
“I guess I really am selfish…”
He was running through the forest but he stopped when he finally felt like he had gained a comfortable amount of distance between him and his friends. He looked back at where he was running from.
He felt an aching feeling in his chest, causing him to place a hand over his heart. He dropped to his knees, holding himself as he finally allowed himself to cry in peace. He knew these tears were fake but they felt so real to him in the moment.
His shoulders were shaking as he looked out at the forest. He remembered all the battles he had fought out here, all the shots he fired, and all the sacrifices he and his friends made to ensure Aelita’s safety. He gave a sad smile as the memories seemed to just play out in front of him.
He held those memories close to his heart. He would go through hell for his friends but it seemed he had probably been putting them through hell.
The blonde allowed the memories to haunt him as he finally spoke aloud, “Nothing feels like home here anymore… they feel like they’re a thousand miles away… and the hardest part of living here is just taking breaths to stay.”
Odd tightened his grip on himself, as if he was trying to hold himself closer to provide a sense of comfort.
A tear slowly made its journey down his face as he murmured, “I know I’m good for something… I just haven’t found it yet.”
“But I need it.”
Suddenly, Odd felt all the air leave his lungs. He knew this feeling all too well. This was how it felt when he experienced a Future Flash.
He could see it all in black and white.
He could see that Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita had broken out of the rock dome he encased them in. He felt the air return to his lungs, causing him to breathe heavily for a moment.
He was surprised that he could still use his Future Flash. He thought that his power had been taken away from him when he took Aelita’s power… or, lack of power. It seemed that there was a glitch during the transfer.
Odd forced himself back on his feet. He couldn’t stay here if his friends were going to be breaking out of the dome soon. He had to find another tower so he could escape into another zone.
He concentrated for a moment and then took off running. He could sense a tower that was a potential target for a XANA attack so he figured he would purify it before XANA could take it over.
As Odd was running, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched by something. He looked over his shoulder briefly but he didn’t see anything. He blamed it on him being a little jumpy because he had a bad fight with Ulrich.
He let out a deep breath and continued to hustle to the tower. He had a smile on his face when he could finally start to see the tower in the distance.
He was so close but he felt something slide around his middle. He reached out to try to grab onto something but it was too late. He was turned around and that’s when he was face to face with a Scyphozoa. Odd pointed his arm at the monster and glared at it.
“Laser arrow!”
Odd cursed as he remembered that he wouldn’t have his laser arrows now that he had been given Aelita’s abilities. Odd thrashed around like an animal but it was no use.
Without his laser arrows he wouldn’t be able to free himself. He wished his Future Flash had given him a vision of this happening instead so he would’ve been able to make a better decision to avoid this outcome.
Odd struggled against the tentacles and tried to move away from the one coming close to his face. He screamed bloody murder as the tentacle touched his forehead, thus trapping him in his own mind.
A single tear fell from his eye and down his face, disappearing in a matter of seconds just like before.
‘Ulrich…’
Ulrich looked to the girls, who nodded back at him with confident looks in their eyes. They were going to break free from the rock this time. The three of them charged at the rock and grinned as they successfully broke free. They looked around, expecting Odd to be out of the area by now.
However, they were not expecting to hear a blood curdling scream echoing through the forest. Ulrich ran towards where he thought he heard the scream coming from with the girls trailing behind.
“That sounded like Odd!”
“He must be in trouble!”
“Then we better get there fast!”
“Use your super speed, Ulrich!”
The brunette nodded to Yumi and took off ahead of them. He knew that the girls would arrive a few minutes after he arrived. All he could think was that this was all his fault.
Odd was in danger because he had chased him away. In the moment, Ulrich sure as hell was mad but now that he was looking back at it, he shouldn’t have gotten as angry as he did. It was Odd, after all. He never meant any harm.
Ulrich was stopped by three kankrelats and two hornets, but that’s not what made him freeze. It was the sight of Odd floating within the Scyphozoa’s tentacles that made his virtual blood run cold.
Odd had a dead look in his eyes as he was a prisoner in his own mind. The Scyphozoa had screens showing Odd’s most recent memories. It appeared that the monster was trying to find something
Yumi and Aelita were at Ulrich’s side, gasping at the sight before them. They could each hear Jeremy’s voice in their ears, “This isn’t good, guys. It’s going through Odd’s recent memories for something that will help it understand why Odd has Aelita’s link to the towers. If you guys can’t free him soon then XANA will know everything!”
Ulrich was about to use his super speed to rush past the monsters but he stopped when he saw the Scyphozoa play back the recent memory of Odd all alone.
Ulrich felt his heart break when he saw that Odd was holding himself on the ground, sobbing to himself. The words he heard Odd speak nearly destroyed him from the inside out.
“I know I’m good for something…”
“Odd…”
“I just haven’t found it yet.”
That was all Ulrich needed to hear to grip his sword tight and charge at one of the kankrelat. He was successful in destroying one but then a hornet shot at him, causing him to jump back to Yumi and Aelita.
They were outnumbered but they were certainly not defeated. They would fight till the end to rescue their friend. XANA might have numbers but he didn’t have heart, not like the Lyoko warriors.
Suddenly, the Scyphozoa made a noise that almost sounded like it was confused. The three warriors looked beyond the monsters to see that the Scyphozoa was now shaking Odd every now and then, as if it thought that the blonde was broken.
Odd’s body looked nearly lifeless as his arms and legs moved without purpose when he was shaken.
“Jeremy, what’s going on?!”
“I don’t believe it…”
“What?”
“Odd’s a genius!”
The three friends listened as Jeremy explained with excitement in his voice, “Odd’s memories are playing back but he was able to change the language of them so that XANA wouldn’t be able to understand them! Odd’s fluent in Italian so he managed to translate all his memories from English to Italian! XANA can’t understand that Odd changed the language! Odd’s trying to buy you some time to save him!”
“Ulrich, you've got to save Odd!”
“You got this, Yumi?”
“Yeah, we can do it!”
He nodded to his friends and then used his super speed to race through the monsters. Ulrich grit his teeth as he saw the Scyphozoa shake his lover around like a rag doll. He sprinted forward and slashed at the tentacles that held Odd.
The Scyphozoa made a hissing sound as its tentacles were separated from its body. Odd fell into Ulrich’s open arms, finally feeling secure in another’s hold.
Ulrich sent his clones to finish off the Scyphozoa as he tended to his lover. Slowly, Odd’s eyes started to flutter open.
He stirred as he tried to take in his surroundings. He reached a hand up and rubbed his head. He looked up and that’s when he finally realized that he was in Ulrich’s arms. He moved his hand from his head so that he could nervously fiddle with his fingers.
“Sono ancora egoista?*”
“Odd, I don’t speak Italian.”
“Ma non parlo italiano!*”
“Odd.”
The blonde took a moment to concentrate and reflect on what he just said. An embarrassed pink blush dusted across his face. Odd looked like he wanted to say something but then he closed his mouth.
His blush quickly disappeared as he started to avoid Ulrich’s gaze. It almost looked like he was waiting for his lover to discipline him for running off and locking them in a dome.
The brunette helped the smaller male to his feet but just as Odd was going to back away, he felt two strong arms wrap around his waist.
Odd looked down at the arms and then back at his lover. He had this look in his eyes that appeared sad but there was also a hopeful look in them, as if he was silently praying that they could make things better.
Odd always hated fighting with Ulrich. Both males were far too stubborn for their own good. Odd was always more vocal about his feelings but Ulrich always hid them behind the words he spoke. Odd was impulsive, usually only hearing the words Ulrich said to him before he finally understood the emotions packed behind them. Odd only hoped that there were good intentions behind the words Ulrich said to him before.
“Odd… I’m sorry I called you selfish.”
“No… you were right. I am selfish.”
“No, Odd, listen…”
Ulrich had never seen Odd look so small in his arms before. Odd didn’t look at him until he spoke, “I didn’t mean it when I called you selfish. I’m sorry… it’s not easy for me to just leave you here in Lyoko all alone. I guess I’m just worried about you and it didn’t come out right. I hope you can forgive me, Odd.”
Yumi and Aelita had just finished up with the monsters when they looked over to see Odd launching himself into Ulrich. The two girls smiled as they watched that bright grin appear on Odd’s face, followed by that relieved smile on Ulrich’s face. Odd wrapped his arms around the brunette’s neck and kissed him full on the mouth.
Aelita was blushing as Yumi gave a wolf whistle to their friends but they didn’t hear her. The world felt like it was moving in slow motion as they shamelessly made out. When they finally pulled away they looked into each other’s eyes. There was a dusty rose colored blush on Odd’s face as he sheepishly smiled.
“So, we’re not breaking up, right?”
“I’d die before I let you leave.”
If you asked Ulrich, the week went by too slow but if you asked Jeremy and Aelita, the week went by too fast. It was the last day that Aelita would be virtualized and Jeremy was going to ask her to be his girlfriend tonight on their date. That meant that Ulrich was going to be alone with Odd on the computer screen in Jeremy’s room. Yumi was going to be at her house but she said she would be ready if Odd was in danger. Ulrich appreciated Yumi for giving him this time alone with Odd.
Ulrich knew he couldn’t really have a date with Odd through the computer screen but he tried to set up the room for a date. He put rose petals on the floor and he lit candles all around Jeremy’s room. He knew it wouldn’t be the same for many reasons but he was making the effort to show Odd that they were going to have a date night. He knew that Odd would appreciate the gesture.
“Hey, Odd, are you there?”
“Hey, Ulrich! What’s up?”
“How do you feel about having a date tonight?”
“Huh? How would we do that?”
The brunette moved to the side and that’s when Odd’s eyes widened and a slight gasp escaped his lips. Ulrich knew that if Odd was here then he would’ve had a hand over his mouth in utter disbelief at the sight of the room. Odd looked like he was about to start crying as he saw the amount of time and effort Ulrich put into making the room look beautiful. If he listened closely, there was the soft sound of music being played in the background.
“You did all that… for me?”
“Well, of course, Odd.”
“I might blow a circuit!”
Ulrich started laughing at Odd’s lame joke trying to say he was so happy that he could cry and short circuit the system. Odd chimed in with Ulrich, giggling that his lame joke was successful in making his lover laugh. There it was, again. There was that beautiful music that only their combined laughter could make. There was the most wonderful sound Odd had ever heard.
The two lovers spent the majority of the night talking about anything and everything. They didn’t have to be talking about anything specific, they just had to be together. Odd did most of the talking but he knew that Ulrich didn’t miss a word he spoke. That was something that Odd absolutely loved about Ulrich. While other people would tune him out, Ulrich would always be listening. He would be hanging onto every word he spoke and Odd loved it. It made him feel like there was finally someone who heard him. Someone could validate his presence.
There was no one else who was as invested in Ulrich’s life than Odd was. Ulrich was much more soft spoken so not many people paid him any mind but Odd did. Odd found his quiet manner more of a reason to love him. He would’ve told you that Ulrich might be quiet when he’s around other people but when they’re alone he’s pretty vocal, if you know what he means. Ulrich would always place a hand over Odd’s mouth and tell people that Odd’s the one screaming like a porn star when he fucks him.
“I can’t wait to be back, Ulrich.”
“I know, it feels like it’s been longer than a week.”
“I’ve been missing you.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Odd was giggling as he nodded. He was trying to get Ulrich hot and bothered and it seemed like it would be easier to do this time around. Yet, it was just when Odd was going to continue to torture his lover that one of his scanners picked up on something. He quickly changed from looking mischievous to looking scared, which caught Ulrich’s attention right away.
“Odd, what’s wrong?”
“It’s XANA! He’s activated a tower in the desert!”
“Yumi and I will be there soon!”
“I’ll go check it out!”
Ulrich nodded to his lover and watched as Odd’s face disappeared from the screen. He quickly ran out of the room and rushed to the factory. On the way, he called Yumi and told her to meet him there. He was surprised when he saw Yumi jump into the elevator right as the doors were about to close. She was breathing heavily, just like him. She managed to turn to face him, sending him a reassuring smile.
“I told you I’d be ready.”
“Thanks, Yumi.”
They quickly activated their scanners and ran into them. It felt different not hearing Jeremy saying his usual lines when they were being transferred into Lyoko but they knew he needed this moment with Aelita. They hoped that they wouldn’t be in over their heads when they arrived. They hoped that they would be enough to help Odd make it to the tower.
When they virtualized and their feet hit the ground, they saw Odd running towards them. He was smiling but then he felt that familiar feeling of the air leaving his lungs. His face changed from one of relief to one of strain. Ulrich and Yumi immediately knew that he was experiencing a Future Flash. Ulrich reached forward and held his lover to steady him as he saw the future.
Odd saw it.
He saw that XANA had taken over a tower not too far away. He saw that there were five hornets and a Scyphozoa waiting for them at the tower. They were going to be vastly outnumbered but he knew that they had to try. He felt the air return to him as the Future Flash ended. He took a moment to catch his breath before he looked over at his friends.
“They’re waiting for us at the tower.”
“How many?”
“Five hornets and one Scyphozoa.”
“Stay behind us, Odd.”
“No… I have an idea.”
They were running head first at the hornets. The Scyphozoa was waiting behind the hornets for Odd. It knew that Ulrich and Yumi would be keeping the hornets busy while Odd would be trying to sneak by to the tower. The Scyphozoa was waiting for its opportunity to strike. It was waiting for the moment where Odd would be all alone to swoop down and grab him. This time, the Scyphozoa would be sure to drain Odd of not only all his memories but his energy, as well.
Ulrich multiplied so that there were three of him in total. He and Yumi were slowly starting to take down the hornets, giving Odd the opportunity to break through. The blonde sneakily slipped through the hornets and made a break away towards the tower. Just as he was going to enter the tower, he felt a tentacle wrap around his waist and yank him into the air. He screamed out as the tentacle shook him around, as if it was trying to show off its victory.
“You didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you?”
The Scyphozoa looked behind it to see another Odd grinning and waving right in front of the tower. The monster looked down at the Odd in its tentacles and squeezed it, realizing that it had a fake Odd. The monster turned back to the real Odd, only to see that he was saluting the monster as he was backing into the tower. The Scyphozoa wasn’t ready to see Ulrich and Yumi sprinting towards it and smashing it into the ground. XANA had lost again.
Odd.
Code_
Code
Lyoko
Sending Aelita back into Lyoko was hard for Jeremy, especially after his date with the pinkette had been successful. They were finally a couple and now Jeremy had to send his girlfriend back into a virtual world. It was a bittersweet moment because while Jeremy was sending his lover to Lyoko, Ulrich was having his lover return to him from Lyoko.
Before Aelita entered the scanner, she turned to Ulrich and hugged him. He held her tight as he heard her kind voice, “I will never be able to thank you and Odd enough for this. You two have given me the world and I am so grateful for both of you. You’ll have to treat Odd to a buffet for me when he’s back.”
They pulled away and smiled at each other. Ulrich was chuckling as he returned, “I can’t tell if you’re trying to thank me, Aelita, or if you’re trying to put a hole in my wallet! You know how much Odd eats!”
Aelita shrugged and then giggled back to her friend. Yumi held onto Jeremy as they all watched Aelita step into the scanner. A single tear fell down Jeremy’s face as he watched the doors close. The next time those doors would open, Aelita wouldn’t be there. It would be Odd. The doors opened and out fell an energetic blonde haired male.
Ulrich dove forward and caught his lover, bringing him down to the ground carefully. Odd smiled as he opened his eyes, loving the sight of all his friends surrounding him. He looked unbelievably tired but he also looked happy to finally be back in the real world. He was happy to be surrounded by his loving friends instead of monsters that constantly wanted him dead.
Odd’s eyes kept opening and closing, indicating that he wouldn’t be conscious for long. He lazily reached his arms out, letting his friends know that he wanted a group hug. Jeremy pushed all his feelings of sadness out of his mind as he fell to the floor to embrace Odd. Yumi blinked the tears out of her eyes as she joined everyone on the ground.
Odd had never felt so loved before. He felt a tear fall down his face as he was overwhelmed by the love in the group hug. He would rather be overwhelmed by love any day. This was where he was needed now. His comic relief was needed out here in the real world now. His kind heart was needed out here with his friends now. He was good for something, he just didn’t know it before. He was good for being the heart of his friends.
“Honey, I’m home!”
“Odd!”