#blxzexup

It hadn't been hard at all to separate Veemon and Daisuke, just the promise of a chocolate bar and he had him captured and locked up. Daisuke hadn't been all that hard either, although once more he had turned himself into a pain... Still he didn't blame him it was in his nature, he was bright, burningly so and he'd do whatever it took to keep what he cared about safe.

One of the many things he liked about him, really.

However he ended up having to knock Daisuke out, he was being to loud, attracting to much attention. Did he feel back for the blood now caked in his hair? No, not really. It had been a necessary wound, it could have been avoided if he had just behaved but oh well.

Leaving both of their digivices on the counter he kneeled down, resting his head in Daisuke's lap. Ken had made sure to tie him firmly to the chair, didn't need him running off until he could convince him. For now though, he'd simply stay here and wait for him to wake up, it wouldn't be long now, Daisuke knew he was in trouble, he wouldn't be able to stay out for long....

"Good morning, how does your head feel?" his voice was softly, bland, but not uncaring, mostly just impatient.

V-mon still didn't seem to understand that this wasn't /their/ Ken right now, so Daisuke couldn't blame him for continuing to trust him. It really had been a hard truth to swallow, given how Ken had suddenly and arbitrarily slipped back into his old Kaiser persona. The way he had gotten Daisuke, however, left a bitter sting in his chest.

Somehow, being older had given Ken more of an edge--more manipulative, and somehow even more of a genius than he had been when they were still kids. And after how Daisuke had witnessed Ken's metamorphosis,it was incredibly difficult to accept now more than ever.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to make Ken regret ever messing with him, but that ended up with a blunt object being knocked over the head. Everything about Kaiser was superhuman, and infuriatingly so.

When Daisuke woke up to see him in his lap, he almost reacted with vicious anger, but as soon as he lifted his head the pounding ache radiated through his skull and he realized how painfully his limbs were bound to the chair.

"Hng...I've been better." Daisuke mustered his best glare given his exhaustion. "Get off of me."

He could feel him jolt, the muscles in his legs tightening as he knew Daisuke was deciding if he wanted to lash out or not- not that it would have mattered, he wasn't able to move, no one was around to save him. "You know, I wouldn't have to do this if you'd just cooperate" Ken sighed as he got up, only to rest his hands on his thighs and lean in staring into his eyes.

They were bright, fiery, Daisuke had so much fight in him and he knew he'd have to get rid of every ounce of it. Ken's lips curled into a cruel smirk, hand moving to trail a finger against his jaw line.

One gets older, you learn about new things, both terrible and loving the world was two sides of the same coin; he had learned both true terror and joy and he really didn't mind showing Daisuke either of them. "What happens from here on out, it's your choice." a small pause, before he moved away, leaning against the counter with the devices behind him "Do you want a drink? You haven't lost a lot of blood, but I'm sure you're thirsty" Ken didn't even look at him, instead staring off at the wall.

He hoped he didn't have to hurt him to bad, but was perfectly prepared to break him down if he needed to.

Even as Ken got right in his face, Daisuke didn't shy away. Ken's usual vibrant, lavender eyes had dulled to a matte gray, and it makes Daisuke sick to see how the spore had sucked the light right out of him, just like that.

Daisuke finally does recoil when he feels that cold finger run across his skin. It makes his blood run icy and he has to break eye contract at last. His face heat up with fury; it's disgusting how  such a simple gesture can unravel him. As much as he wants to retaliate, he has too much respect for Ken--even now, though the idea of spitting in his face crosses his mind.

"I don't want /anything/ from you. I'm not thirsty." Daisuke wouldn't trust anything from Ken right now anyway, it would probably be drugged or something. Ken can do his worse, but Daisuke won't break. He could force feed him and violate him any which way but Daisuke refuses to let the tyrant have his way. As scared as Daisuke is, it would be devastating for him to allow Ken to see it.

"...Just get me out of this damn chair. You're wasting your time."

He lets out a small sigh, reaching behind him and sliding something forward, although Daisuke couldn't exactly see what it was from his angle. "It's just normal water, but if you're going to turn down my kindness" the world slipped off his tongue like it was poison, a dull tapping sound filling the air as Ken looked back to him with an annoyed expression.

"If you don't start behaving I'm going to have to force you to" he doesn't reply to his second statement, lifting up what was behind his back and letting his arm drop to his side. It's a thin plank of wood, Ken tapping it against the side of his leg as he moved closer again "You're the one wasting our time and it really is a shame" holding his arm out he tilted his chin up with the end of the plank, giving a little tap against his chin

"I guess I could always find out if black and clue is your colour" there's a happy little smile on his face, although his eyes show clear malice- He'd give Daisuke one more chance to reply in a more helpful manner before he'd strike him with it across the cheek.

Ken really is going to make this as painful as he can, and now that he knows Daisuke on a much more personal level he's going to exploit every weakness that he can. It fills him with dread, but he absolutely can /not/ let Ken do something crazy. He is, right now, what is standing between Ken and total domination, and that's he needs to hold onto his resolve for dear life.

Daisuke glares up at him again, trying not to grimace when he sees the wood plank. He knows Ken would stoop to any level, too. If physical violence is how he wants to play, then Daisuke can handle it.

"Alright, if you insist...but I think blue is more my color, if you want my opinion. You gonna give me a make-over?" Daisuke just needs to play up his own sarcasm. If he can get under Ken's skin at all he might have a chance.

He doesn't even hesitate

The sound of the hit hangs in the air, loud and painful as Ken spins the plank in his hand, looking quite satisfied with himself. "I always liked you in red, but maybe that's just because it's the colour of your eyes" humming softly he pressed the end of the plank against his chest, slowly poking down his body until he rested it on his knee.

"I was thinking... You said I wouldn't get my own hands dirty." the hit was lighter this time, but probably just as painful- the knee was a sensitive spot but he didn't want to cripple him, that wouldn't help either of them in the end. "It wasn't hard to catch Chibi... Where did I put him?" Ken's arms crossed, pretending to think about it before shrugging "Oh well, maybe I'll remember later"

Another trail of taps up to his stomach, before moving to stand behind him. Reaching out to apply pressure to his head with his hand, forcing his head down "If only you'd cooperate, we could have control of this island already, it doesn't matter if we have to step on a few people along the way"

As tough as Daisuke wants to be, he can't stop the pain as his head is forced to the side. He doesn't grant Ken the satisfaction of letting himself cry out, though, as he bites down tightly on his lower lip. He hangs his head, composing himself--ugh, why does he have to make it sound so /gay/ talking about his /eyes/ like that. However it gives Daisuke enough time to prepare himself for the next inevitable blow. The burning-hot sting on his face forces him to wince.

The blow to his knee definitely hurt, too, even though Ken didn't throw too much force behind it--he didn't need to. He's leg jerks unintentionally, but Daisuke still does not cave. He /knows/ Ken has Chibi somewhere safe, and that he won't do anything to him--since he still has a use for him too, right? He can hold it over Daisuke's head as a bluff and not much else. Daisuke remains faithful that Chibi will be okay.

His head continues to feel like it's splitting--literally, it is, and Ken's hand on the back of it is an agonizing reminder of how much damage his skull had endured. He breathes in and out slowly, trying to will himself through it--pain is /nothing/.

"...Are you an idiot? What is there to gain in taking over an island? ...Control? Because you /can/? Come on, there's gotta be a more interesting reason, /Ken-chan/." Daisuke makes sure that his smirk can be heard through his voice. As embarrassing as the honorific is, he hopes it will embarrass Ken twice as much.

Of course, he's not going to kill either of them, but that doesn't mean he can't harm them both. Although really Daisuke was right, he had Wormmon watching over him and he knew that no matter what he would listen to him, help him... That's just what Wormmon did, although he tried not to think about it. Closing his eyes and simply... Listening for a moment.

"Control is key, but don't you remember what they said? The goat gods control who comes on and off this island, and I know you want to leave" Ken gave a hard tap against the side of his head before setting the plank against the back of the chair, simply leaning forward with his fingers intertwining around his throat "So quit being stupid, we can show them what true power is, defeat them, and go home. I doubt they'll want us around once we've flattened their playground" his fingers squeezed, just lightly before relaxing.

His eyes drooped, although Daisuke wouldn't be able to see it, his head moving to press his face against the back of his neck... He mouths something , before blowing against the skin and moving away. "I'll let you sit there and think about it a little longer; after all you know I'm right, don't you?" he'd let the pain sink in, the uncomfortableness of his position. In fact, Ken just left everything where it was, the digivices so close, yet so far as he strolled out of the room hands in his pockets.

He'd be back in a bit but he had some other business to take care of.

True, Daisuke does want to leave...doesn't he? He really can't complain about being here, since he's made some adjustments and...living comfortably with Ken has been kind of nice--at least, until /now/. It's probably because of this damn place that Ken is like this, but Ken was able to come back before and Daisuke /will/ find a way to bring him back again.

Thank goodness Ken is behind him--Daisuke squeezes his eyes shut when he feels a hand around his throat, trying not to tense up /too/ much but it's uncomfortable, especially with Ken literally breathing down his neck. His heart nearly stops with Ken hanging so close behind him, bristling visibly as his lips brushed against his skin and the cold whisp of air sends shivers down his spine. It takes all of Daisuke's self-control to keep himself from calling Ken a very offensive slur. Even in his predicament, he's not going to go /that/ far, but it effectively leaves him speechless. He has no smart-ass remark to throw at Ken before he's already out of the room.

With him gone, though, Daisuke has the chance to gather his thoughts. He looks around, vision blury from all of the abuse his head has taken, but he tries to look for /something/ that might help him. If he could find some sort of sharp object, or maybe even reach a window to shout for help...No, Ken would have predicted that sort of thing. Chances were, all the sharp objects were removed from the vicinity and even if he could get his hands on one, he has such limited mobility that he couldn't work it to cut him  loose.

"Dammit!" Daisuke spits, defeated.

Mint: It would be what felt like a long time before Ken came back, looking at his phone and seemingly ignoring him as he sat down, a bento box in hand. After a moment of flipping through something on his phone he opened the box, taking a bite full of rice and looking at Daisuke "Did you have time to think it over?" his voice was calm, taking another bite and chewing thoroughly before swallowing.

"I'll feed you some, if you'd like" he offers a bite, the food was still warm a mixture of rice and hamburger sitting between his chopsticks delicately. "I don't think you'd eaten since yesterday" his voice was almost kind, but still dull as he talked, taking the bite for himself before poking around at the rice; almost... shyly? "I don't enjoy hurting you, you know... But it seems you've made it necessary- will you at least eat something? There's nothing more worrisome than when you refuse to eat" not the he sounded very worried.

By the time Ken returns, Daisuke had nearly fallen asleep from pain and exhaustion. The door opening had startled him, and he had begun to lift his head but the ache made sure to remind him of its presense.

The smell of food beckoned him--he hadn't eaten in a day, but he has too much pride to accept food from Ken right now. He's not eating off of another guy's chopsticks, either. Spare him the 'homoerotic' subtext. That doesn't stop his stomach from rumbling audibly, though, as Ken brings the food closer to his face. Daisuke glares at the floor in front of him instead.

"Tch...no, thank you." He rolls his eyes, but ultimately ends up shutting them as his head hangs again. He can endure this--he /has/ to, but he needs to rest his puffy eyes again.

"...Keep playing your games, but you're not going to get anywhere with me."

Moving his own chair closer he's knee to knee with Daisuke, setting the box between them and giving a sigh. "Right now, I'm not trying to get anywhere, I'm simply making sure you're fed." he put his own chopsticks in his mouth, pulling out another pair from his jacket pocket. "I know you're hungry, you can rest for a bit once you eat"

HIs voice was a drawl, sounding a little upset and annoyed, finger under his chin and tilting his head up slowly- there was even a kind smile, cheeks a dusted pink. "Please? I promise, I didn't do anything to it" he tilts his head, glancing around to the rope around his hands. "If you promise to behave I'll untie your hands and you can feed yourself"

Is he going to have to force feed him? What a stubborn idiot.

It aches and almost makes him nauseous how hungry he is. He realizes if he has any hope of turning this around, he will need his energy and he can't afford to pass out from hunger in the midst of this.

He looks up at Ken--god, why does he have to keep /touching/ him?!--and that face along with it that puts Daisuke on the verge of /melting./ Gross. He's so hungry that he can't even think straight. But after a moment he finally nods curtly. He really does want/need to eat something.

"Alright, this is the one time I'm gonna cooperate. No funny business either, promise."

Oh good.

Moving his own chair back he sets the box aside with the fresh chopsticks, holding his own in one hand as he kneeled down to get his hands untied- Although he was taking his time, watching for an signs of a broken promise. Then again, Daisuke wasn't the kind of person to do that, he didn't make a promise unless he intended to keep it.

Let out a short hum as he got the knot undone he let the rope drop to the floor, although his feet and waist were still tied down tightly and he'd have to reach around for the knots. If he did try any funny business Ken would just sent the chair to the floor.

Handing him the large bento Ken took his seat again, crossing one leg over the other and his cheek in his head, smiling at him as he watched "Did you make up your mind yet, by the way?"

Ken really decided to take his sweet time, but Daisuke could see why. The thought does cross his mind that he could possibly make a break for it, though that would be incredibly stupid and dangerous, even for him. Ken probably has the most complicated knots that would take Daisuke more than a quick minute to untie, assuming Ken would even /give/ him that time. Then there's the fact that Ken can overpower him as he is right now. There's no point.

But, he does let out a sigh of relief once the ropes are untied. He looks at his wrists and /damn/ they've been cut into pretty good, partly from Ken tying the knots so tight and partly from Daisuke struggling against them.

His hands shake from fatigue as he accepts the bento and the chopsticks and begins to shovel food into his mouth. He just can't get it down quick enough, and Ken's inquiries are going to have to wait--though not for very long, as Daisuke does eat pretty quickly.

"...I've already made up my mind. I'm not helping you." In the meantime, Daisuke /has/ to figure out a way to get that spore under control, but he is so limited that it pisses him off.

"So, you're just gonna keep me tied up here? This is getting boring--the whole, keep me captive until you get your way thing. That's not gonna work. You've got us in a stalemate. You /know/ we're both too stubborn...and hey, might as well put on Netflix or something since we'll both be here until you decide to get your head out of your ass."

He watches him eat for now, the foot that was in the air tapping at nothing, impatiently waiting for him to finish- Which really, really wasn't long. Even when Daisuke wasn't starving he had food down his gullet in record time, and this was no different.

Although of course, his answer was unsatisfactory, Ken giving a scowl but not moving "Why not? You admit, what I'm saying makes sense, don't you?" leaning forward in his seat his leg dropped, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, staring Daisuke down something fierce. "The human body and mind can only take so much Daisuke" getting up he took the box from him, setting it aside with a deep sigh.

"That's the plan, leave you here and break you down." Ken mused, before moving closer and dropping to his knees again, resting his arms in his lap, eyes fixated on Daisuke's hands "Why wont you join me? It's so simple... Don't avoid the inevitable."

"Tch..." Daisuke found his glare again, but ends up looking away. He must look pathetic with his face bruised and likely swollen--he hadn't even considered how much trying to chew his food would have aggravated the deep blistering.

He can't keep his anger up--even with a full belly, he just doesn't have the energy to continue with his emotional stamina taxed like it is. Ken...he wants Ken back. /His/ Ken. That's exactly why he can't let this Ken get his way. If he were in his right mind, he wouldn't want Daisuke to give in to his demands.

"Nothing is worth hurting innocent people. You should know better than to ask that of me. I'm not doing it. It's stupid. Your idea is stupid. /You're/ stupid--DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME."

It's probably not wise to lash out, but Daisuke's energy sparks and he ends up shoving Ken away with his free hands. The bitter rawness of his wrists sting just from the slightest movement, and surely Ken will retaliate tenfold--damn Daisuke's temper.

"I wouldn't call them innocent, most of them, anyway" Ken sat there for a moment, eerily calm as his finger tapped against the floor. How annoying, but it's not like he could take both their digivices and just do it on his own... Although, then again it's not like anyone's tried before, tilting his head back he looked at where they sat on the counter letting out a small hum.

"... I might not need you, I wonder what will happen if I use them both? I already have Veemon after all" getting up he moved over, grabbing Daisuke's wrist to wrestle his arm back around the chair "I guess you have two options at this point, you can either come with me, or go with everyone else." he had one arm tied, giving him the freedom of the other for now.

Honestly, he expected the stubborn answer, and as much of a shame as it would be, it made no difference to him.

As much as Daisuke wants to keep fighting, he's spent. No one is going to come to his rescue, and Ken has been able to force digivolution in the past. Still, he can't imagine V-mon would go down without a fight. V-mon has to be sitting with Wormmon, and they're both probably scared--but where's the rebellion? He knows Wormmon is an invertebrae, but he needs some backbone, Any day now would be nice.

When Daisuke's hand is wrenched around behind his back, he cringes and lets out a pained hiss. His wrists are really messed up, and Ken isn't bothering to be gentle.

"...It's not gonna work, Ken. You /know/ how digivolution works. You don't have any of your toys here, no dark rings or anything. V-mon won't do a damn thing for you. You /need/ me to follow through with your plans. You're stuck."

He has plenty of backbone, in fact he had fought with Ken for a good hour before deciding he couldn't leave him like this. Sure he would walk off, leave Ken alone, rebel, but he wants to stay by his side, even if... This was happening all over again. All four of them were stubborn, in their own little ways.

Grabbing at his other arm he forced it behind him as well, soon tying that one up and getting up, arms resting against his shoulders. "I'm sure he'll listen to me if I take a few pictures. Seeing you in this sad state, he'll probably break down and do whatever he can to save you." he leans in once more, resting his head against his and giving a small sigh

"It's okay if you hate me... Seeing as you're going down with the rest of this island soon I have something to tell you" his hands moved to grip at his forearms, pausing for a moment "I love you, Daisuke... It pains me to have it end this way" he moved away once the words were said, grabbing the digivices off the counter and heading out the door. He'd figure out a way to make it work, he didn't need the dark rings or anything like that, and at this point, he could figure out a way that he didn't need Daisuke either. After all these things had a habit of committing miracles.

Maybe... Thankfully for Daisuke though Wormmon HAD decided to use his back bone both him and Chibi climbing in through the window "Oh no... Daisuke are you okay?" Wormmon fretted looking between him and Chibi and instantly feeling guilty "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's going on or what I should do and-" he hadn't even done anything, and here the digimon is, worrying and apologizing and feeling guilty.

Remaining silent, Daisuke continues to let his head hang as Ken ties him back up completely. It makes his skin crawl how effortlessly Ken could manhandle him, and it didn't sit well when he had his head resting against his--or his hands on him--or how /close/ he had become. Daisuke visibly stiffens up, fighting back every urge to scream when Ken drops those three words. It's not like Daisuke /wasn't/ expecting to hear them at some point, but he had hoped he never had to. He wants to believe that it's really the /Kaiser/ saying these things; not Ken, but there is only so much Daisuke can deny when the truth is glowering down at him.

And with all the hatred and anger Daisuke feels right now, he wants to say it back.

It's /wrong/. He doesn't have /those/ feelings for Ken--maybe he loves him as a friend, but--no, this is too messed up. Daisuke isn't /like that/. He's not into guys. He's not into /Ken/--

It's silly, how desperately he is trying to lie to himself at this point. If he really is going to lose Ken so easily, then he has failed. He has never been able to work up the /courage/ to accept his feelings, and it's all over before it could even begin.

Once Ken leaves the room, despair rips through Daisuke like a bullet through butter. He doesn't even have the energy to cry, but there are weak tears forming and stinging his bruised skin as they roll down his face. He shifts angrily in his chair, scooting it around helplessly; grunting as each movement shakes his body painfully. This is no use, and he has been reduced to a tantrum.

He would have jumped if his body had the energy to do so when Wormmon and Chibi appear in front of him. It breaks his heart, moreso than it already is, to see the digimon look so frightened and upset. Chibi, especially.

"...Hey, Wormmon, it's okay...you're okay. It's...my fault. Probably." Daisuke admits. He's been ignoring Ken's obvious signs that he had desired affection from Daisuke, and because of Daisuke's own homophobic attitude did Ken ultimately  push away. That's probably not the /entire/ reason why the dark spore took over again, but it certainly didn't help that Daisuke had been insensitive.

"Daisuke!" Chibi hops onto his lap, peering up at him. "Listen to yourself...Ken needs our help. No pity parties until this is over...but I want a /real/ party instead, okaaay?" Chibi hops around more, locating the knots and working on untying them.

Wormmon ends up following after Chibi, knots be damned someone has claws and he's going to just cut through the rope- it might take a while though. "Daisuke, you're Ken's light, I doubt there was anything you could have done to have this happen" he wasn't about to pass the blame, although he also wasn't sure it was any of their faults. He just felt guilty for not doing anything sooner.

Eventually the rope had been cut through and untied on Chibi's side "Sometimes I wish I knew how to heal" Wormmon was wincing at the red lines on his wrist, before moving to Daisuke's feet to try and offer some kind of support "Ken will probably be back soon, anyone have a plan?" Wormmon really had no idea what to do, this was different, familiar for sure, but different.

OH, to late he can hear foot steps stomping down the hall, if you excuse him he's going to go position himself under the couch, the least he can do is try to stay out of the way and maybe set a trap, although he really didn't want to hurt him.

"Wormmon, when I find you" he growled as he opened the door, slamming it shut behind him. Ken glaring at Daisuke and Chibi "I'll deal with you after"

At last, Daisuke is able to pull himself to his feet, though shaky as his muscles cry out from being forced into such an uncomfortable position for so long. He has to hold on to the chair for support, taking a few steady breaths as he slowly shakes out the aches for blood to return to his limbs. Wormmon is right, and Daisuke nods to him in agreement. He's not sure if they could come up with a plan--Ken has Daisuke's digivice, and it doesn't seem like a deus ex machina is ready at their rescue this time.

But there is not enough time, as the tyrant enters the room again. Chibi moves to block Ken's way, but Daisuke is already on the move. This time Ken has to deal with an unbound, cranky and emotionally distraught Daisuke, and as weak as he is now, he isn't letting this continue--

The sight of Ken makes Daisuke's blood boil. He has the nerve--No, no more thinking. Losing his senses, Daisuke throws his weight at Ken to try and knock him over, reaching for the back of his neck as he slams a fist to the other's chest--he'll /tear/ the damn spore out if he has to.

"I want KEN! GIVE HIM BACK!"

Perhaps he should have seen it coming, but he had been to focused on Wormmon to consider the fact Daisuke would do something, he was never the kind of person who could just sit back and watch this happen after all.

There was a sharp gasp, taking both the fall and Daisuke's weight as he hit the floor; once eye closing at the pressure against his neck and having to take in a deep breath, the wind had been knocked out of him. Grunting lightly he reached out to grab the hand at his chest, squeeze at his wrist painfully and letting out a small growl "Don't kid yourself! You don't want me" he's reaching for his other arm, intent on getting his hand away from his neck "I'm a crime against humanity, and I'll take down anyone who gets in my way! You don't want me, I've been lying to you for the past five years- you don't need me, so stop trying!" his voice cracked a bit, strained from the force of his words.

"Stop pretending, stop pitying me, and just admit you hate me already...!"

During the scuffle, Chibi had bound off to find Wormmon--whatever he had to do, he needed Wormmon's help. Meanwhile, the only thing Daisuke has going for him his how easily he can be a dead weight with how weak he is right now.

"SHUT UP!" He threw out the only words his mind could grasp at right away, and had balled his fist through the fabric of Ken's shirt and gripping tightly at a handful of skin. Once Ken goes for his other hand, though, Daisuke pulls away far enough to wind up for a slap to his face.

"You're so stupid for a genius! You haven't learned a damn fucking thing! I don't hate you, you son of a bitch! You have NO IDEA--" Daisuke hunches over, his shoulders shaking with emotion as tears fall again. "...You have no idea what you mean to me. Just stop this. Stop everything. This isn't the Ken that I..."

The slap has a familiar sting, his hand going to his cheek to cradle the bruise that would no doubt show up there- the feeling was almost euphoric though, his body shivering as he bit at his lip "You're the idiot" but that's what made him so... human, Daisuke acted on his emotions, it was blunt, admirable. "Tsk-" Ken reaches out, gently his hand rests on his cheek resisting the urge to hurt him "That you worked so hard to try and fix? There's no fixing me; admit it, you're disgusted, you hate me." he was waiting for him to flinch away, although he wouldn't be surprised if he stayed still or just flopped over.

Daisuke's body was shaking, he had such little energy... "Stop lying to yourself, and just get it over with. You don't have much time left"

"No...that's not what I was gonna say..." Daisuke didn't flinch away, allowing Ken to do what he will, even if it's fruity as fuck. He grips Ken's shoulders, though, holding him in place as he continues to scowl with tears falling in streams. His head is ringing, deafeningly so but he's not letting up. Not yet.

"You...weren't broken, Ken. You didn't need fixing, you just...needed help. It's okay... I'll do it all again, I'll do it all over again to help you. I don't care about what happens to me..." Daisuke smiles bitterly. "You don't care, either. You're just looking for a way to make your own pain stop. Some love that is, huh?" Daisuke wobbles a bit, holding tightly to Ken to try and hold himself stable now more than anything. Fear hangs at the back of his mind that Ken might have inflicted more damage to his brain than intended; how long was he unconscious for, anyway? Long enough, and color drains from his face as the clammy feeling takes over. He's overexcurted himself.

"H-hey. My...head really hurts, Ken...You weren't kidding, I probably don't have much time. I don't think my head was hard enough, heh..." Daisuke's head drops, his forehead touching Ken's.

"...So I feel the same way. I'll stop being blind to it if you will. I love you, Ken. Please, love yourself, too." With that, Daisuke's eyes close as he can't hold himself any longer. He slumps over to the side, his breathing shallow.

Ken went quiet, letting his arm drop as he watched him. Scowling slightly- he could hear another voice in his head, it was small, quiet, but trying to make itself known. His conscious?

He ended up holding his breath, silent as Daisuke spoke, gritting his teeth as he collapsed.  Part of him wanted to believe him, but the other, the larger part thought he was lying, simply saying these things to try and delay him... Ken supposed he had to admit it was working.

Letting out an annoyed sound he slammed his fist against the floor, pushing himself up and taking Daisuke with him "Wormmon, come here. I need you to digivolve and carry Daisuke" sure, he was strong, but there was NO way he could carry him all the way to the hospital. Luckily it seemed Wormmon realized why the command was given coming out of his hiding place and digivolving into Stingmon, going over to pick Daisuke up and follow Ken out the door.

It seemed Naoto had been visiting Rika at the hospital today, taking the chance to practice her white magic. Ken simply explained that he got into a fight... Not a lie but he didn't need to give detail. Hopefully Daisuke would stay out of it long enough for him to get back to the apartment. It was interesting though, not a single mark was left on his body.

Getting Stingmon to set him on his bed, Ken sat in a chair, getting comfortable to wait for him to wake up again, looking mostly annoyed and with an apprehensive Wormmon at his side. Chibi had come with them, although was up on the bed with Daisuke, not looking at Ken. "I don't even know why I'm doing this..."

No that was a lie, he knew why he was doing this.

There had been nothing but blackness aside from the occasional scattered particles of speech and noise. The unconsciousness had served as a reprieve from pain though that didn't stop Daisuke from feeling as if he were trapped in his own body for the time being.

The last thing he expected, though, was to wake up in a comfy bed. At first, he didn't want to open his eyes. It's so soothing and warm against his cold, clammy skin and he almost went right back to sleep. However, the sterile smell and steady beeping of hospital equipment nearly jerked him awake. His cloudy vision delayed as his eyes sprung open, white walls and bright lights not helping the matter. Daisuke's breathing spiked, feeling like he might panic--he had forgotten what had happened. Why is he in the hospital?

Finally, tired eyes are able to search the room. A blurry, blue figure moved up onto his chest and once Daisuke's vision returned to focus, he recognized the tears forming in Chibi's eyes. He lifts his arms to hug him, but they weigh too much to lift. He manages a very weak smile instead. Chibi gestures to Ken with a slight tilt of his head, and Daisuke realizes at long last that he is here with him.

"...hnnn..." Daisuke tries to speak, but all that comes out is a low whine. Ken shouldn't be here, seeing him like this, even if he were the one to do this to him in the first place. He feels...considerably better, but there's still the underlying pain of fatigue from something --heartbreak, maybe? He doesn't know, but his heart definitely aches right now.

"...Ken...? You..." Daisuke can't imagine what he might be thinking right now. "Why...did you...bring me here...?”

He let out an annoyed tsk, waiting for Daisuke to get done with Chibi. Apparently his energy should come back pretty quickly too, but maybe it was taking a while to take affect; his body had gone through a lot of trauma so it wasn't surprising.

Getting up he went over, sitting down on the bed, ignoring the apprehensive look from Chibi "Perhaps I'm still hanging onto the hope that you'll join me. Mostly though I want to be able to call you out on your bull shit" Ken spoke in a soft voice, glancing away with an angry scowl "If your goal was to soften me up, saying lies like that... I know you don't 'swing' that way, but it worked." he looked annoyed, mostly to himself for letting himself cave like this. "I can't blame you for lying, however"

He... Doesn't believe him, eyes fixated on the wall beside Daisuke's head "It's probably best you distance yourself, you're scared of me, aren't you?"

Daisuke's head lolls to the side, watching Ken as carefully as he can with heavy eyelids. He's too tired to even fight back his feelings. Daisuke is always honest, unless it's something charged with anger. Or in this case, confusion. He hasn't been honest with himself at all about his feelings, and he has no energy left to even try to pussy foot his way around it.

"...it wasn't a lie, Ken." He sighs, defeated. For all the nerve he had worked up to confess--and Ken doesn't even believe him.

At last, Daisuke finds the strength to lift his arms and rub at his eyes, before irritably running his hands up through his hair.

"Look, I'm not scared of you. I'm here with you to help you....but not at the expense of others. I love Ken. Not...not Kaiser. What's it going to take to reach you, Ken?"

Of course he doesn't believe him, part of him doesn't even believe in himself. He knows the feelings are there but he feels weak for even having them, for admitting them but he had figured if he was going to get it out of his system, well now would be the time, wither he ended up destroying Daisuke with the island or not.

Scowling at his own hands he balled them up into fists. At least it seemed he was... Calming down? If you could call it that, but at the very least there weren't any violent outbursts "Your words are empty." Ken finally spoke, glancing at him with a frown, squinting at him. "I hate how weak you're making me... I have half a mind to smother you with a pillow and put you out of your misery."

Daisuke blinked at Ken slowly. For a moment, he's certain the real Ken appeared in those mixture of emotions on his face--or maybe not, but Daisuke has a firm belief that the Kaiser wouldn't be making those faces of his own volition. Hell, Daisuke can't even believe it either. He believes that he loves Ken with his whole heart, but...well, as far as a romantic attraction goes, that's where it gets complicated. Daisuke always thought that he liked girls and even had a girlfriend for a short little while but that--well, it didn't feel wrong but it didn't exactly feel right either.

With Ken, everything felt right.

And with that, it's probably because they have their whole...synchronized hearts thing. But no, even then, Daisuke had scared himself away from having any romantic feelings--kids at school that were "out" suffered, even from the teachers. One kid had to be home schooled. No, Daisuke had himself convinced. Guys like girls, that's how it's supposed to be. But Ken isn't just a regular guy to Daisuke.

Ken's threat actually made Daisuke laugh. It was so ridiculous and Daisuke can't even believe it for a second.

"Hey...alright, but I think you're the one who's scared. You started it, you know." Daisuke sits up, finally, to look Ken square in the face.

Rejection was a powerful thing. He feared rejection, from society, from his school, from his friends- But most of all he feared rejection from Daisuke. He was... Ignoring those feelings right now, that was really the best way to put it; instead just letting out an annoy "tsk". In all honesty, he didn't care about whatever the world would throw at him, he deserved whatever punishment that would come to him and surely they would get bored after a while; it would be worth it, as long as Daisuke stayed by his side but these thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind, instead just giving an angry little growl at his laughter.

"I don't care what others think or do, as long as they stay out of my way" came Ken's reply, although there was a flicker of light- of pain in his eyes as he continued to stare Daisuke down. "I figured I'd do us both a favor and get it out of the way, so we can stop lying to each other and you can die knowing the truth" he still wasn't moving, his words a low hiss almost. "I'm not scared, I just refuse to believe empty words"

God, does Daisuke need to slap him again? It made him angry how Ken now is the one rejecting him. Daisuke isn't a liar, he never has been and he's not about to start now and especially not something as important as Ken.

"Look, I don't care anymore either...I mean, I do. I care a lot...but what you think is a lot more important to me than what others think. Ugh..." frustrated, he runs his hand through his hair again, tugging just a bit at the roots. Daisuke loves Ken. That's that. There's nothing more he can add to prove it any further aside from the obvious.

At last, he reaches for Ken's hand, gripping it firmly. Daisuke's thoughts are buzzing, making his head ache all over again at the thought of this. He almost hesitates, but his resolve is a lot stronger than his fear. Ken would most likely slap him but this needs to happen.

"Listen. I'm not bullshitting, but I guess words aren't enough for you."

With that, Daisuke pulls himself closer to Ken, a hand pressing between his shoulders to close the distance. Without any more hesitation, Daisuke presses his lips to Ken's.

He flinches away a bit at the touch, other hand balling up into a fist but not quite pulling away- in fact he was about to give a sarcastic response, Daisuke catching him just before he was about to open his mouth, cutting him off effectively and leaving his eyes wide.

There was... Defiantly no denying this.

Ken's eyes ended up closing, leaning into the kiss softly; his whole body seemed to relax, going quiet for a long moment before pulling away, tears already streaming down his face. "...." Ken couldn't even speak, mouth opening but nothing came out; his eyes even seemed brighter behind the gathering tears. "D-aisuke" he choked out his name, covering his mouth.

He felt sick, with himself. Despite everything he had done, despite... Everything really he was still here, willing to admit his feelings and Ken- There was a choked sob, standing up and backing away, towards the door. He couldn't even get himself to say sorry, he knew he didn't deserve the apology and he felt absolutely disgusted.

He had even hurt Wormmon again and he wasn't sure which hurt worse. "I n-eed to go" Ken sobbed out the word, trying to swallow down his emotions. God, what had he been thinking? WHY had he been thinking like that? "S-tay and re-rest I'm just going to m-y room, I promise" there he goes, shutting the door behind him quickly and moving to lock himself in his room.

He'd do whatever he could to make it up to Daisuke, but at that moment he couldn't face him, his head was pounding and his body was starting to ache... What was wrong with him, how could he let this happen?

Really, all of this made Daisuke feel silly. Kissing Ken was like kissing any girl, but better. Why he had been such a wimp about it, he will never fully understand. He settles into the kiss, surprisingly composed as the rest of the world melts away--this is his Ken, he knows for certain. Dark spore or no, Ken is free for this moment.

But all good things must come to an end. He hadn't expected Ken to cry, of all things, but he can't blame him, either. What a miserable few days it had been for them both, and Ken must be feeling very vulnerable suddenly. Daisuke almost tries to say something, tries to move to wipe those tears away but Ken is already out of his reach.

He can only watch helplessly as Ken leaves his room. Daisuke listens quietly, nearly holding his breath to hear the sound of Ken's feet going to his own room along with the opening and closing of the door followed by a resounding click. Reassured that Ken is at least in his room, Daisuke doesn't need to go after him again. Nothing about this makes sense. Daisuke can hardly make heads or tails about what is going on at this point.

Daisuke looks at Chibi, who gazes back with big, sad eyes. Daisuke really had nothing--no explanation that would make sense. How is this type of thing put into words to begin with? But even after all this time, his partner still has a way of surprising him. Chibi doesn't look confused at all--rather, worried and sad for the two humans he cares about a lot. Love isn't a foreign concept to Digimon, after all.

Sighing, Daisuke lies back on his bed. As much as he wants to be at Ken's side, he doesn't want to hurt him more than he already has--Ken has hurt him too, but Daisuke can forgive him. It's Ken who won't be able to forgive himself, if he ever does. Daisuke will check on him later, offer his support...and hopefully without making things any worse.

Wormmon decided to stay with Daisuke, scuttling over to curl up beside him to offer support. He knew he wouldn't be able to get to Ken right now, but he'd be right there beside him once the time came- for now, this seemed like the best idea ".... Thank you Daisuke." there's a pause, Wormmon looking over to Chibi; okay he'd say it "I wish it hadn't happened this way, but it's about time. Chibi and I have been waiting for it to happen for years" sorry, joking is his coping method.

Ken on the other hand, isn't leaving any time soon. He needed to calm himself down, fight away the dark thoughts that threatened to bubble back up. He refused to let it take back over, he was done with hurting people; he couldn't help but think Daisuke wouldn't forgive him- he shouldn't. .... Yet he knew he would and the love that vibrated in his heart was fighting against the doubt.

It was amazing, most people probably would have called it quits, but he had to admit that was what he loved about Daisuke, admired about him. No matter what happened, how hopeless it seemed he never gave up. Ken knew he could take a page from his book, but right now he needed to fight with his own darkness, the tingle on his lips a pleasant reminder that yeah, he's loved, and there was always something to fight for.

It would probably he a few good hours before he came out of his room, breath held as he glanced around for Daisuke- that lady had explained he'd be back to perfect health, but that didn't exactly help with mental scars... "Daisuke...?"

Daisuke stares up at the ceiling, listless but smiling at what Wormmon said. Yeah. He knew. Daisuke knows himself. He knows when there is something different, even if he didn't know it was love at first. For the longest time, he thought what he had felt for Hikari was love. Really, it was more of the competition with Takeru and earning that praise and affection from Hikari that always had him chasing after her. That ended though, once Ken became more of a presence in his life, and he thought of Hikari less and less in a romantic mindset. Daisuke even tried to date other girls but they were so awkward and didn't click the way Daisuke wanted them to--the way Ken does.  

"...Years, huh? Well, you know how it is..." He rolls onto his side where Chibi squeezes his way under his arm, patting at Daisuke's hand with his.

"You made it harder than it had to be, you know," Chibi squeaks gently, not a tone of resentment in his voice either.

"Yeah, yeah." Daisuke mocks offended, as he lifts the blanket to cover Chibi's head. Chibi pulls it off, sticking his tongue out at Daisuke before deciding to curl up with a yawn.

Good idea. There's nothing for Daisuke to do right now, so he may as well catch up on some much needed rest. Exhaustion still weighed heavily on him, and even though he wanted to wait for Ken, his brain needed a break from all this chaos. Letting out a sigh, Daisuke curls up and once he's comfortable, falls asleep almost immediately.

Seems Daisuke was still in bed. Peeking the door open he gave a small smile, seeing the three of them curled up together.

All right... He might as well get started now. Closing the door behind him he went into the kitchen, looking around for all the ingredients he'd need and finding a few recipes in a cook book he had found when they moved in. It wouldn't be perfect, but damnit... He wasn't going to run this time, he'd do his best to do whatever he could to make it up to them and he'd go down kicking and screaming if he ever let this happen again.

What exactly was he making? Well... Everything really. He'd probably end up making a mess but he wanted to make them all a feast in hind sight, just a lot of good food they could stuff their faces with. Daisuke was asleep anyway, so hopefully he'd have enough time to get everything cooked before waking them up.

Admittedly, he was feeling weak though, in the emotional sense. He was focusing on his task at hand, ignoring the pain in his heart and his need to run away and die in a hole somewhere. That wouldn't be fair for Daisuke, especially not now.

Maybe he'd wake up to the smell of something delicious in the oven in an hour though. This wasn't nearly enough to make up for it, and it really wasn't going to be perfect, but it was a start.

highbananaeclipse: It would take some miracle for Daisuke to wake up from his sleep-like-death. Chibi, on the other hand, could sleep more but the rummaging in the kitchen made his ears twitch until he finally woke up. Sleep is boring and if that's Ken maybe he needs company.

Chibi squeezed himself out from under Daisuke's arm to hop off the bed and towards the door. Living with humans now has him adept at reaching door knobs and turning them, and he does so with a hop skip and a jump, essentially.

Pushing the door shut behind him, Chibi follows the noise into the kitchen. Ken looks so lonely. Even though Ken had hurt him and Daisuke and Wormmon, he had hurt himself in the process. They're all still in this together, and Chibi doesn't hesitate to scoot up to hug Ken's leg.

"Hi, Ken! What are you making?"

Ah- Ken almost jumped, blinking down at Chibi before giving a sorry smile- it quickly dissolved just sort of staring as he debated on how to reply. He wanted joke, say it was a surprise but that didn't seem right, right now.

Taking in a deep breath he wiped his hands on his shirt, crouching down to pick Chibi up and hug him back, burying his face into the little with a choked noise "I'm so sorry... I never wanted this to happen ever again I'm not sure what came over me" okay, he better let him go before he accidently smothers the little guy, letting him sit on his shoulder instead. "I'm making a lot of things. I figured I need to make it up to you guys somehow, so I'm making lots of food" it wasn't enough though, it never would be.

His hands were shaking and he had to pause, grabbing at his shirt to steady his hands. He still felt terrible, but he really wasn't going to run this time. "I don't mind if you're mad at me, Chibi... I don't expect this to just 'win you back' but I felt I should do something" okay he's stopped shaking time to get back to work.

Chibi was pleased that Ken had returned his affections, but he squirmed and squeaked a little upon being squeezed a little too tightly.

"Bwah! Ken, air--whew. It takes Daisuke a lot longer than you do." Chibi gripped onto Ken's shoulders softly with his paws, looking over at the mess of food he was putting together--but food prep always looks this way. It doesn't matter what it look like as long as it tastes good.

"I'm sure you'll do great, Ken. Daisuke can't stay mad at you. He's mad at what happened, but not at you." Chibi nuzzled along Ken's face to reassure him. "I'm not mad either! We know it's not your fault, just like last time....But they always say! The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach!"

Heh, Chibi was always so cute, even when he was being a little shit although it was hard to remember that depending on what he was doing. "Chibi-" his eye closed as he was nuzzled, letting out a tiny almost breathless laugh at the affection. "I'm... Perfectly conscious of what I'm doing it just... It's like the part of my brain that controls emotions loses 90% of it's power and the only thing that's left is anger" and sadism but just thinking about it makes him shiver in a disgusted manner. "It is my fault, I should have been able to control myself"

Still the words were nice to hear, the last of it making his heart skip a beat "That's-" oops there's a little giggle "Where did you learn that one? I guess it's true though? I hear it actually works for some girls" okay, he could do this, although he was... Kind of hoping Daisuke ended up slapping him upside the head anyway, god does he know he deserves it. "It's a secret but I'm even making brownies, don't tell Daisuke until they're done, okay?"

Okay, everything was prepped now it was time to wait for everything to finish cooking. Moving over to the table he set Chibi down, leaning forward to rest his head on his arms and giving a deep sigh. "Mm... Should you wake Daisuke up, or maybe I could kiss him awake, like in sleeping beauty?" it was a joke, mostly, but he figured Chibi could get a giggle out of the sentence- Although he realized a moment to late that he might take him literally, shit.

Chibi loves Ken like he's family, and can't see him hurting anyone out of his own free will. Chibi understands a lot more than he lets on, and how both humans and Digimon can struggle with inner demons all the same-- that doesn't make it okay, by any means. In Ken's case, there is much more to it than that and Chibi can't help but forgive him anyway.

"Just talk to us, then! We won't judge...and Daisuke loves you especially. He won't let anything happen." Chibi zealously waves his paws around for emphasis. "Ohh, Daisuke watches a lot of  movies...um...what is it...romantic comedies! He says he watches them to get better at courting, but he ends up sniffling a lot instead." Chibi places his little hands on his hips. "I says to him, I says, if those rom-coms make you sick then quit watching them! But he says that's not it...." then drops his posture with a shrug. "Ken takes good care of Daisuke, though! He'll love the brownies!"

Chibi tilts his head at Ken, surprised but ultimately thrilled with the suggestion. The sparkles could almost be seen floating off of him.

"Ohmygosh! Ken, that would be a great idea! Do it, do it! I bet Daisuke would like it! He's a sucker for that stuff!"

"..." Ken gives Chibi a small smile, yeah okay, it's hard to not smile when he's around Daisuke and Chibi they're so bright it's almost painful but he doesn't mind. "All right, I'll make sure to talk to you two lots more" picking his head up a bit he put his head in his hands, watching Chibi's arms flail about as he explained "Is that so? He must be embarrassed about it, he's never suggested a rom-com to me" well there's another thing to add to his list- which list? All of them pretty much.

Seeing the sparkles though there was a small tinge of regret, letting out a soft nervous laugh and glancing away as his face went pink "I'll think about it, I'd rather he woke up peacefully, I'm a little worried waking up to my face right now is going to have mixed reactions" Ken reached out, rubbing Chibi's head affectionately "I bet you think otherwise though, huh?" looking over at the time he figured they had at least half an hour now before everything was done.

"We have a bit of time before the food is done, do you want to play go fish with me until then?" Ken asked, getting up to go check on the pots right quick first.

"Okaaay." Chibi does think otherwise; who wouldn't want to be woken up by the love of their life that way? For now, though, Chibi will have to take Ken's word for it. There are still a few gray areas that the Digimon misses in translation--human affection is still something he has trouble understanding. He enthusiastically nuzzled into the headpets, though.

"Go fish!" Chibi cheered happily. "Dinner, brownies and card games, oh my!" He shuffled towards the edge of the table, watching Ken impatiently.

Meanwhile, Daisuke's sleep turned restless. He groaned and tossed a bit in a cold sweat before finally bolting upright in his bed. He gasped for air, trying to steady his heart. Already, he had forgotten the details of his nightmare but that's the only explanation for having woken up so suddenly. He hunched forward, resting his forhead against the palm of his hand, waiting for the residual fear to pass.

A few moments later, he realized that Chibi was no longer in the room with him--but Wormmon had stayed. That's a bit weird, but Daisuke doesn't even question it.

"...Sorry, just a bad dream," he mutters, closing his eyes to rub away the last bit of sleepiness.

Once his heart settled, he heard noises coming from the kitchen along with the smell of food. Bless Ken...he seems to have gotten through his dark spore business, but now comes the next hurdle of...well, everything else. Daisuke thought it best to wait for Ken to come to him, but if Chibi is out in the kitchen with him then the invitation must be open now. Daisuke decided to leave his room, meeting the other two in the kitchen.

"'Morning."

Ken was glad Chibi was still his usual hyper self, moving to grab a deck of cards and taking a seat back at the table to get the game started. Ken had found a miniature deck of cards, so it would be easy for the digimon to hold while they were small. "Okay, I'll go first, do you have a four?"

Wormmon shuffled awake with a little yawn, rubbing at one of his eyes before watching Daisuke with a worried look. He had become very attuned to when this kind of thing happened and instead just moved into his lap once he had sat up- He might not be furry but it's nice to have the company, right? "It's all right Daisuke, please feel better soon" the digimon offered, moving to jump off the bed as he got up, following him into the main room.

They wouldn't get through to many rounds before Daisuke would join them, Ken giving a sheepish smile. Seems he wasn't going to wake sleeping beauty up but maybe that was for the best "Good evening" he replied, trying not to sound sarcastic but it most defiantly was not morning. Wormmon went over to Ken and he picked him up, setting him on the table. "Chibi and I were playing go fish, do you want to take over for me?"

He tried to act like everything was normal... Just for now. It was hard to hide how absolutely sorry he looked though, it was etched into every line of his face. "We can talk about things after we eat..." a small pause pondering.... Before gesturing for him to come closer, although it was a nervous little wave.

If he decided to take the invitation he'd give him a small kiss on the cheek, otherwise he'd just leave his cards for Daisuke to take and go finish with dinner without the small gesture of affection.

"Thanks, Wormmon..." Daisuke had said before he left his room. Of course Wormmon would have experience in dealing with nightmares. Ken gets them often, but Daisuke hasn't had one since he was much younger. He supposes it's stress and decides against thinking on it any further.

"Evening...?" Daisuke looked out one of the windows, noting that it's now dusk but then shrugged in response. He can't be surprised and his mind is already jumping to other things. Daisuke does appreciate Ken trying to make things normal, but he doesn't want the poor guy to force it either. He's already dealt with enough. "It smells good...We can talk when you're ready, Ken, no rush...hm?" Daisuke wandered over to Ken, and leaned down towards him to accept the kiss on the cheek with a smile. That's a really good sign, better than anything he could hope for. For all Daisuke's efforts to knock sense into Ken, a kiss had been more efficient. What were the odds, and it's almost like some fairy tale magic.

Daisuke sat at the table once Ken got up, taking his cards from him and gearing himself up for a very heated game of go fish. [2016-02-24 4:29:25 PM] Mint: His face is red, squirming in his spot over just giving such a small kiss it was... A little odd being so freely affectionate but it's not like he hated it. "I want to talk after dinner but I'll leave that up to you" Ken would rather not think of this as a fairy tale because that's one fucked up fairy tale.

Humming softly as he turned the stove off and let everything simmer for a bit as he took everything out of the oven as well and started to get it served and cooled. "So who's winning" he asked leaning against the counter as he waited "I'm betting on Chibi" a small smile glancing down to his feel looking and feeling guilty.

Daisuke gave a bit of a shrug with a smile in response. "I'm alright with that, then." He would rather get through it sooner rather than later...Yeah, they really do need to talk about everything, especially if they're going to be, well-- 'out' now. That is much more prevalent than any sort of dark spore kaiser business--for right now, anyway. Maybe love was the cure for that after all, but Ken would still need Daisuke's full unyielding support through any and all symptoms of depression, just like always. That won't change, love doesn't 'cure' depression so easily, and Daisuke has every intention of staying by Ken's side whether he loves him or hates him.

As every round of Go Fish goes between Daisuke and Chibi,  it gets ridiculously over-the-top competitive, and the round ends pretty quickly with Chibi ending up with the last card.

"Aw!" he squeaks, ears drooping, but quickly looks pleased that he got to play a game anyway. "It's because you had Ken's cards! Ken gave you a head start, that's all."  Daisuke rested his head on his hand, snickering.

"Heh, seems I lost too, good job Chibi~ I'm sure you can beat Daisuke some day" tilting his head Ken gave a smile before setting the plates on the table and began to serve up the food. It's help yourself kind of dinner but just as he promised himself, there was a lot of it.

Taking his own seat Ken put the cards away, giving a bashful smile. He wasn't about to go believing he deserved their forgiveness anytime soon, but he was happy to see them eating "I tried a few new things, so I hope it all turned out well" yeah Ken wouldn't be getting into a cooking career any time soon, but simple everyday meals? He could handle that.

He'd make sure everyone else got food on their plates before helping himself, slowly eating and just watching. It felt... strange to pretend to be so casual right now; not strange, wrong? Still he couldn't help but feel a little happy, watching Daisuke eat. "Is it good?"

Honestly, Daisuke didn't have much of an appetite. Even though he was promised with a ''full recovery,'' he still felt as if he were hit by a truck and his emotions definitely took the brunt of recent events. As much as Daisuke hates to admit, he's not invincible and he does have his limits. He's been pushed quite far beyond them, and the nightmare only solidified that and he kind of feels like crying still.

Like usual, Daisuke brushes his emotions off to the side. He'll deal with it all later. For now, the food does smell great and he's grateful for Ken to take it upon himself to put it together for them. Ken's trying his best, and Daisuke knows that there is only so much he can do to 'make it up' to him like he knows he's trying to do. Daisuke hadn't expected anything from Ken, really. In fact, Ken really ought to use some of his energy for himself rather than trying to fix things between them right away. But, that's all a part of Ken--selfless when he isn't being possessed by an evil spore. It would come across as ungrateful if Daisuke were to protest in any way, so the best thing he can do is let him know he is appreciated.

"Yeah, thanks, Ken." Daisuke eats as much as he can to make up for going without, and Chibi eats even more like he usually does.  Even with a lack of appetite, Daisuke finishes eating quickly as force of habit-- as much as he loves food, he needs to get done eating so he can hurry on to the next thing. That's just how it's always been.

"Thank you Ken!" Chibi squeaked, followed by a tiny hiccup. Without batting an eye, Daisuke passes a glass of water to him before propping his head up on his hand, elbow resting on the table. He glances at Ken, indicating that he's ready to talk whenever. Damn, this headache is stubborn.

There's still food left over, but at the very least it seemed everyone had eaten their fill, even Wormmon had decided to stuff himself to the brim. "No problem, Chibi" giving a sheepish smile he looked over to Daisuke, who was very clearly ready to talk.

Placing his hands in his lap he gave a small nod, twiddling his fingers under the table as he tried to decide on how to start this conversation. "I don't think I'm sorry is correct right now... Or ever really" shaking his head he took in a slow breath. He knew this was going to be as hard on Daisuke as it was him, biting at his lip "We have something more important to talk about then... Whatever happened with the spore" ahh, oops he can't stop himself from going pink, reaching up to playing with his hair nervously "I- Nothing I said was a lie when it came to how I feel for you. I've been trying to deny it because it's... Not normal but..." he looks at his lap before looking back to Daisuke with bright eyes.

"I love you. I love every second I spend with you and I wish I had said this under better circumstances but well... It's a little late now." his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest...

Whatever happened with the spore was over and done with. As concerning as it had been for it to flare up suddenly, it was a matter that they knew of from experience that they could work through and keep under control.

What made it so different this time had made itself very obvious. Daisuke had always believe he had liked girls, and only girls. Societal and cultural expectations shunned anything differently, and that had nourished the fear that Daisuke had when his feelings took a turn towards Ken. He had denied it for, possibly, several years now. He had only been gripping at straws in believing this sort of thing must be normal between best friends, or between jogress partners--but to Daisuke's dismay, Hikari still had feelings for Takeru instead of Miyako, which poked a big hole into that theory.

So when Ken did confess, Daisuke wasn't totally surprised. In fact, he was relieved, even if it were under the worst possible circumstances, he will agree. In turn, Daisuke didn't want Ken to walk away thinking Daisuke was just messing with him when it was his turn.

"You could have been more romantic, yeah," Daisuke grinned cheekily, but then his expression turned serious, uncharacteristically so.

"I love you too, Ken. I love you very much. I'm...really shitty for not saying so sooner." He shifted a bit so he could reach Ken's hands under the table. "I'm sorry that there might have been something I did to make you believe different. I'll prove it to you, whatever it takes."

Ken always figured his feelings were something normal between friends, although after a little while he realized he didn't have the same sort of feelings for anyone else, and it slowly dawned on him that the way he liked Daisuke, it wasn't the normal sort of like between friends and that had scared him. He had thought there was something wrong with him, but decided to lie to himself that it was slightly different because of their connection, talking about it to anyone was out of the question, he'd just be labeled a freak and he couldn't do that to Daisuke, because he was the target of his affection, he'd be going through the same hell, just because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

So... Hearing these words had his breath catching in his throat, unable to look away from Daisuke despite all the emotions that were boiling at the pit of his stomach. "No it's-" shaking his head he gave a small smile, giving his hand a firm squeeze "None of it is your fault, it's scary. Things like this aren't normal but it feels so right..." leaning in there was another hesitate little kiss against his cheek, sending his heart beating wildly "You don't have to prove anything to me, I'm just glad you're by my side, even if I don't deserve you I'm not about to push you away"

Ken pauses, head moving to hover in front of Daisuke's debating on kissing him on the lips- Chibi seems to be 100% a fan of this though cause he can hear him squeak out "Just do it already you two!" and Ken had to move away, face going bright red "Chibi....!" sighing breathlessly Ken covered his mouth, looking away a bit but hadn't let go of his hand "I'll do whatever I can, to make sure you know you're loved, Daisuke"

Every time Ken berates himself, Daisuke can feel his own heart sinking.

"No way, Ken. You've messed up, and that's fine. You're still learning, so don't beat yourself up about it." Daisuke smiles at Ken, giving his hand a squeeze in return. "I really want to help you believe that for yourself, that you're deserving of...well, anything it is you want."

Daisuke watched Ken carefully, debating with himself on if he ought to bridge that gap--that is, until he heard his Digimon's interjection and grinned cheekily.

"And that's how you kill a moment...good job, pal." Daisuke shook his head but his tone remained good-natured. This is going to be an interesting adjustment.

"...So, guess this means we're official now...heh. Nothing exaclty different about it, other than the obvious. Now I can call you Ken-chan and we can pick out curtains," Daisuke teases, but his expression turned serious again.

"All I ask of you, Ken, is that you talk to me. I don't want any more secrets and I don't want you to feel like you've gotta do everything by yourself. I'm not going to be mad or judge you. I just want you to be okay, especially since I'm around."

Wormmon sort of just laughed, he had looked away to give them their space but nope Chibi was happy to jump right in the middle of it. Still it would have been a little odd if Chibi hadn't, he was always curious about everything. "Hmm? Why would we go picking out curtains" he's looking at him like he has a second head, only to sigh and give a small smile "I guess I wouldn't mind if you wanted to call me Ken-chan, although I'm happy with just calling you Daisuke"

Closing his eyes he gave a small nod in reply, moving his chair over to finally steal that kiss. He could feel his hear leap, lips tingling slightly; he felt sensitive all of a sudden, but he didn't feel weak. "All right... I can do that" giving him a bright smile "It's the same for you, okay? We can go through this together, hand in hand"

He could agree... No matter what life deciding to throw at them, they'd get through it together. Although right now he was mostly preoccupied with the thought of he needed to make things better for Daisuke, there was no sorry, but he'd do his best to show as much love as he could. "I'm ready to take on the world by your side"

It was more of a joke but Daisuke doesn't know why he's surprised it didn't click. He actually stuttered a bit when Ken told him it was okay to add the honorific to his name.

"Eheh...really? M-maybe in...in private, um..." He may have gotten in a little over his head suggesting it. Of course Ken would have taken him seriously.

Daisuke didn't hesitate to return the kiss, though. It didn't take much convincing. He hadn't even been repulsed by the fact Ken happens to be the same gender, and all this build up to it felt kind of silly now. Fuck every single person that says this sort of thing is wrong. He gazed at Ken, thinking there were probably a few more words he could offer, but then he learned what it meant to get lost in another person's eyes. Leaning out of his chair, Daisuke wrapped his arms tightly around Ken, deciding that no words were needed.

"That's fine with me" Ken ended up letting out a little chuckle. It's not like he really expected anything to change just... They got to kiss and hold hands and hopefully not feel to awkward about it? Okay it was going to be a little awkward for a while, no lying about that but they could work past that together.

There was a little 'oaf' as Daisuke pulled him into the hug, resting his head against his and returning the hug with a tight squeeze of his own, holding him close with a shaky sigh. "Daisuke...." tilting his head he buried his face into his hair, taking in a slow breath "I love you.... I love you so much. I don't know what I've done to deserve you but I wouldn't give you up for anything" Ken is shaking slightly, holding him even tighter to the point their bodies were flush.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so glad you're here though" ah jeez, he could feel tears, but just shook his head. No tears, not allowed.

Nothing made Daisuke feel more at home. He and Ken had hugged a few times, but they were those brief, awkward tilt-to-one-side guy hugs. In retrospect, they both had likely lingered on after.

This time--this time, now that things were finally out in the open; no more secrets and no more emotional baggage for the time being, the embrace had a certain passion behind it. A level that could only be reached when two people love each other, and all other boundaries are broken down. Daisuke could feel Ken's heart beat from his chest against his, and the staggered breathing that shook his body slightly off-rhythm. Daisuke listened quietly, resting his head against Ken's.

"I love you too, Ken. Don't be sorry, okay...?"