Daisuke and Ken stood hand-in-hand before the rest of the group. Miyako gaped at them, eyes wide and jaw slack. Iori’s initial surprise had smoothed into something unreadable. Hikari cheered and pumped her fist in the air.

“I knew it!” she cried triumphantly. She held out her hand to Takeru, who sighed heavily. He reached into his pocket, produced a 1,000 yen note, and slapped it onto Hikari’s palm.

“What- but-“ Miyako spluttered, her eyes darting from Ken to Daisuke and back again, “But I wanted… I mean, you… Ken!”

“It isn’t something he can control, Miyako,” Iori spoke softly. His gaze was serious, but gentle. “If this is what makes you happy, then… we support you. Both of you.”

--

Daisuke and Ken were the last back through the digital gate. Ken’s hand tightened around Daisuke’s and Daisuke stopped, glancing up at his partner. Ken was staring at the gate, and his hand was shaking slightly.

“Hey! That went pretty well, huh?” Daisuke said brightly. Ken nodded mutely.

Daisuke turned and took Ken’s free hand, bringing their joined hands up between them. Ken finally looked at him. He thought he understood the anxiety in Ken’s eyes. Telling their friends was one thing, telling their parents was another matter entirely.

“Hey… everything’s gonna be okay,” Daisuke said gently. He hesitated, then added, “If… if you need more time, we don’t have to-“

“No.” Ken shook his head. “No, it… It’s better to finish it, now that we’ve started.”

Daisuke grinned. “Right! Whatever happens, it’ll be over soon.” He stood on tiptoes to place a hand on Ken’s cheek and a soft kiss to his lips.

When they parted, Daisuke rested his forehead against Ken’s. “Good luck.” He gave Ken’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be here for you.”

--

Ken sat on the couch in the living room. His mother sat at his side, clasping his hand. His father knelt in front of them. As soon as he told them he had something important to tell them, they’d ushered him to sit and were now watching him closely, radiating tension. It only served to heighten his own anxiety. The last time he’d approached them with a serious topic had been the night he revealed Wormmon to them. They had been shocked at first, even scared, but they’d come around.

Wormmon sat in Ken’s lap now, a source of comfort as Ken stroked his partner’s face. Why had it been easier to introduce them to a digital monster than to admit this?

Ken swallowed hard. “Mom, Dad, I…” He took a deep breath. “I-I’ve been… s-seeing someone…”

His mother gasped, releasing her hold on his hand. “You have? Honey, that’s wonderful!”

His father’s face eased into a smile. “You had us worried there, son!” he said, laughing as he rose to sit on Ken’s other side. “So, who’s the lucky lady?”

Ken winced. Those words almost made him lose his nerve. But he glanced down into Wormmon’s shimmering blue eyes and steeled his resolve. Daisuke had seen him through so much, given him so, so much more than he deserved. Ken would stand by him. He would be strong, for Daisuke’s sake.

“I-it’s Daisuke,” Ken whispered, hating the way he couldn’t bring himself to look at either one of them.

There was a moment of silence that lasted an eternity. Just when Ken was starting to think he couldn’t take this anymore, his mother finally spoke.

“Oh! Oh, Daisuke is such a sweet boy! How long has this been going on?”

Ken’s head snapped up. “I… Y-you’re not… angry?”

“No, of course not! But…” His mother’s face fell. “Oh, Ken dear, is that why you were so afraid to tell us? Oh, sweetie…”

She pulled Ken into a hug. Before he could react, he felt his father’s hand on his shoulder. He turned; his father was regarding him seriously.

“I… well, I can’t say this isn’t a surprise, son. But the important thing is that we love you, and we always will.”

“That’s right!” Mrs. Ichijouji pulled away to beam at her son. “We just want you to be happy, Ken! And if Daisuke makes you happy, then we’re happy for both of you.”

Ken’s throat was tight, and his vision was blurring. He threw his arms around his mother and she held him tight as the tears began to fall. His father embraced them both. Wormmon hummed and nuzzled his arm.

“I… th-thank you,” Ken choked out. “I love you… I love you both, so much.”

--

Ken felt lighter than he had in weeks. He bounced across Rainbow Bridge, Wormmon wrapped up in his arms.

But as he approached the bench they had agreed to meet at, his smile fell. Daisuke was hunched over, his hands clenched into fists on his knees and a deep scowl on his face. Chibimon was staring beseechingly up at him and nudging his elbow, but Daisuke wasn’t responding.

The baby dragon looked up as Ken sat down. He crawled from Daisuke’s lap onto Ken’s, and Ken gave his head a reassuring pat.

“Daisuke?” Ken tried tentatively. “Daisuke, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Daisuke shook his head but didn’t look up. Ken hesitated, then reached out and gently placed his hand over Daisuke’s.

“Dai… please, please, talk to me…”

The redhead huffed. “I… god, I don’t know what I expected… I don’t know why I’m even surprised.” He laughed, a hollow, empty sound so unlike him.

Ken’s thumb stroked the back of Daisuke’s hand. “Were… were they angry?”

Daisuke let out another humorless laugh. The sound tore at Ken’s heart. “They weren’t angry, they weren’t upset, they… they just didn’t care!”

His head bowed further. His hands were shaking; Ken’s grip tightened.

“They said… My parents, they said I was always disappointing ‘em. Said they shouldn’t be surprised. Jun said I was gross. She said she couldn’t bring boys around anymore, said she was afraid I might steal ‘em from her…”

Daisuke trailed off. His body seemed to bow, his anger deflating. “Maybe… maybe they’re right. I won’t… I won’t ever be good enough-“

“No!” Ken’s tone was so sharp that Daisuke glanced up, surprised. Ken took the opportunity to place his fingers under Daisuke’s chin. “They’re wrong, Daisuke. You’re not a disappointment.”

Daisuke began to shake his head, so Ken placed his hands on either side of his face, forcing him to stop. “You are the bravest person I know, and the most compassionate. You gave me a chance when no one else would. You care… you care about everyone, and you never stop. You never stop trying… Even when the odds are against you, you always push forward.

“You’re amazing. You’re so wonderful, Daisuke. And I know… I know my word isn’t worth much, but-“

“Of course it is, Ken!” Daisuke said immediately. “How many times do I have to tell you how important you are?”

“You’re important too!” Ken shot back. “You never fail to see us through, do you understand? If it wasn’t for you, the digidestined wouldn’t be where we are today. I- I wouldn’t be here today…”

Daisuke’s face softened. He reached up to place a hand over Ken’s. “Ken…”

Ken shook his head. “I’m sorry your family reacted so badly, Daisuke. Truly, I am. I wish I could make that okay, but I can’t. But… but I’m here for you, and I always will be, okay?”

Daisuke nodded. Ken leaned forward and wrapped Daisuke into a firm hug, his fingers curling into the smaller teen’s hair. Daisuke sighed deeply and buried his face in Ken’s shoulder.

“Th-thank you, Ken. I… I l-love you…”

Ken’s grip tightened. “I love you too.”

--

A week later, Ken told Daisuke that his parents wanted to have Daiuske over for dinner. He looked a little sheepish when he said it, which puzzled Daisuke. Ken’s parents had hosted him for dinner before – what was there to be shy about?

He thought he understood when he arrived at the Ichijouji’s promptly at eight like he’d been asked. There were butterflies in his stomach as he knocked on the door.

After a moment the door opened. Mrs. Ichijouji appeared, smiling, and pulled Daisuke into a tight hug.

“Daisuke, sweetie, I’m so glad you could come! Come in, come in. Ken’s told us all about you two. You’ve made Ken so happy, I’m so happy for you!” She pulled back and cupped Daisuke’s face in her hands. “I hope you’re hungry! We’re having tonkatsu, Ken said it’s your favorite. Go on and wash up, dinner will be ready soon!”

She patted his cheek and bustled into the kitchen, leaving Daisuke in a daze. Ken approached, his smile apologetic.

“She’s, ahh… been very excited to have you over. I hope you don’t… Daisuke?”

Tears had welled up in Daisuke’s eyes and he wiped at them frantically with the edge of his sleeve.

“Dai?” Ken’s hand hovered over Daisuke’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, is… is something wrong?”

Daisuke laughed and drew his boyfriend into a hug.

He knew Daisuke worked…Daisuke worked all too much in his opinion, but not even he would leave the stove on with something cooking on it when he left for work. And he definitely wouldn’t leave without letting Ken know that he was heading out. So where was he?

Ken wandered more into the kitchen, eyes wide and searching. He paused when his foot bumped into something, something that wasn’t supposed to be there. Slowly, he looked down, his heart lodging deep in his throat. His breath caught in his lungs, a wave of cold sweeping through his body. The pot still bubbled, food spilling over its edge, but Ken paid it no mind. His ears buzzed, his heartbeat pounding far too loudly, too frantically. For a moment, Ken couldn’t even move. Daisuke was sprawled on the floor in front of him, his arms draped limply over himself to graze the tiled floor. His eyelashes fanned out gently across his flushed cheeks, his lips parted to allow heavy pants to escape and jostle his body. A cut scraped its way across his forehead, blood pooling in the crevice and trickling in thin streams down his face to pool onto the floor below. He was still, oh so still, and it terrified Ken. Ken dropped to his knees beside his boyfriend, his hand fluttering frantically around Daisuke’s unconscious form. “Daisuke! Daisuke, wake up!” he pleaded, his voice pitched high with fear. Daisuke didn’t stir, he didn’t even twitch. Ken’s hand brushed against Daisuke’s face, his fingers trembling. Warm skin met his touch, too warm for his liking. Panic clasping like an iron band around his lungs, Ken reached into his back pocket for his phone, his fingers stroking gently at Daisuke’s flushed cheek.

He lifted the phone to his ear after dialing, trying to ignore the tears he felt trembling at the corners of his eyes. When he heard the recipient pick up, he swallowed thickly. “Jyou…Jyou, I need a favor.”

When Daisuke awoke, the world felt warm and soft, almost too soft. His hand twitched, grasping the blanket that was draped over him gently. He squirmed, a quiet, nearly desperate moan leaving him. It was too warm, overwhelmingly so. His head tossed against the pillow, his hand moving to find the edge of the blanket that was covering him. It needed to go. He wanted to be cool again. He wanted to be able to breathe again, to think again.

A familiar hand slipped over his forehead and pressed gently against it, stilling his frantic movements. A quiet whine escaped him, his eyes fluttering and struggling to open. The hand remained, the thumb stroking at the skin between his eyes. “Shhh, Daisuke… Everything is alright. No need to worry. Jyou said everything would be fine. Rest now…Please, my love…” a voice murmured, so so gently. Daisuke instinctively pressed his head into the touch, a soft, mumbled noise of contentment slipping from his throat. The person laughed quietly, the hand continuing to stroke at his forehead.

Finally, Daisuke’s eyes slipped open, dazed golden irises peeking through the partially opened eyelids. A blurry image greeted him, a tall shadow looming over him with kind eyes that glinted even in the darkness. His tongue flopped awkwardly in his mouth, continually sticking to the roof of his mouth. Eventually, he managed to rasp a name. “Ken…” he mumbled, struggling to focus through the fog that had settled over him.

A smile tugged at Ken’s face, his expression softening at the whisper. He leaned in, close enough for Daisuke to make out the finer details of his face. Faint exhaustion lines webbed across his face, lining his eyes and the contour of his mouth. But still he smiled that smile that Daisuke loved, the one thing that could reduce him to mush at any time. Not like Daisuke was in any position to be turned into mush right now. His mouth worked, concern easing into the confusion on his face. The hand on his forehead moved, a finger soon pressing against his lips. “Hush, love. It’s alright. I have everything under control. Just rest and get better. I will be here when you wake up, I promise you.”

There had been something Daisuke wanted to say, a concern he wanted to voice, but it seemed to vanish at the soothing tone to Ken’s voice. His eyes grew heavy once more, but still he struggled, not wanting to leave Ken just yet. “Ken…” he rasped again, his hand clenching tighter on the blankets.

“Shhh… Daisuke, it’s alright. Just rest.”

Unable to argue anymore, his eyes slid shut, the exhaustion tugging him under once more. Ken drew the blanket up to Daisuke’s chin, tenderly tucking it around his form to keep it from moving. A hand slipped through Daisuke’s hair, combing through the unruly spikes of auburn. Ken sighed softly, the bed dipping a bit to accommodate his weight. “I wish you wouldn’t work so hard for me, Daisuke… I know you don’t want me to work because you want me to focus on school…But…I want you to be happy too… It hurts to come home to see you so run down… Please… Just let me help…”

Daisuke turned over, towards that dip in the bed. His hand wandered over the blanket until it brushed against Ken’s, closing gently around it. His eyes cracked open once more, a weak grin fluttering across his face. “Love you, Ken…Being with you…makes all of this…makes working this hard…worth it…Everyth’ng’s al’ight…Just…trust me…”

Silence settles in the room for a moment, Daisuke’s eyes slipping shut once more. The bed shifted against, the covers lifting and a form slipping into the spot beside him. Ken moved closer, his arms circling around Daisuke and pulling him close. Lips pressed gently against his too warm forehead. “I love you too…Even if you are an idiot,” Ken whispered against Daisuke’s skin.