Graduality

His day was normal up until phys ed; when the idle chatter droned on a bit too long and everything began to overstimulate him. It wasn't that he was simply annoyed; it was the fact that something didn't seem right. Dread settled into his stomach as he stood and listened to Jim lecture the class about a past job he'd rather not talk about, the room slowly spinning.

"Alright, kids, we're going to do a bit of acrobatics," Jim boomed as he stood in front of the equipment. "Remember to keep yourself relaxed yet aware...because if you don't, you can, uh...really hurt yourself." Jim laughed nervously.

Ulrich glanced over at Odd, watching his friend's face pique with interest. He was sure the blond would do everything in his power to show off in front of the other students. They were both a bit out of practice since they'd last been to Lyoko for about half a year, but he was sure they'd be better than the rest of the class.

Ulrich pulled at his shirt a few times, releasing the collar's hold on his neck and fanning himself as a wave of heat rose over him. Aelita looked over at him in confusion. Standing next to the pinkette was Jeremie, who was cleaning his glasses and not paying attention. Phys ed was his least favorite class, after all.

Odd finally noticed Ulrich fanning himself and turned to him with an arched brow. "You good?"

"Is it hot in here?" Ulrich whispered.

"No, I feel fine," Odd replied before grinning. "You having a mid-life crisis?"

"Shut up."

"Della Robbia!" Jim called, startling the two. He pointed at the equipment. "First up. Show us what you got."

Odd's shoulders visibly relaxed as he realized he wasn't in trouble. Ulrich dropped his shirt as Odd stretched. "Read it and weep, Ulrich. I'm gonna be top acrobat."

"I'd like to see you try," Ulrich chuckled, crossing his arms.

Odd sauntered his way over to the acrobatic materials, rolling, ducking, and jumping through them with ease. The blond's muscles rippled under his gym clothing, earning a raised brow from Ulrich. Had he been working out? He was definitely not as scrawny as he'd remembered.

As Odd landed, the class erupted into cheers. He'd even earned himself a look of praise from Jim. Out of the five of them, Odd was definitely the most nimble since his Lyoko form was a cat. He'd spent plenty of time practicing on Lyoko, and it surely stuck with him after all that time passed.

"Pichon!" Jim waved to the next victim as Odd made his way back to the spot next to Ulrich. Herve jumped in shock and pointed at himself in uncertainty. "Yes you, get a move on! We don't have all day."

As Herve nervously moved up into the spotlight, Odd poked Ulrich in the ribs. "So, think you can beat that display of awesomeness?" he teased.

"Of course I can. Who do you take me for?" Ulrich replied without so much a thought. He rolled his eyes with a smirk.

Herve let out a loud wail as he fell off of the equipment, earning an uproar of laughs from the class and even a spurt of laughter from Jim, who quickly recomposed himself with a cough.

"Ha ha ha! Classic Herve move," Odd chortled, before turning to eye Jeremie. "Of course I expect better from you, Commando."

"Ha, ha, very funny," Jeremie replied flatly. "I'll have you know that boot camp was very enlightening for me."

Ulrich's ear began to ring as tinnitus set in. He quickly shoved his finger to his ear to try and fix it, drowning out the rest of the conversation. He glanced back over at Odd.

"What are you staring at?" Odd asked. "Do I have something in my teeth?" He tried to get it out as Ulrich fumbled a reply.

"Uh..." As he stared he couldn't help but notice that the shade of his eyes matched the color of honey. "H-Have you been working out? It looks good on you."