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“’Bye, Ichijouji!” Daisuke yelled, waving his arm enthusiastically as he took off down the hallway of his best friend’s apartment complex. Ken replied with a soft “Goodbye,” then shut the door with a sigh, a tired smile on his face. He loved his Jogress partner, he really did, but spending time with him could be exhausting.
Daisuke had come over to his place to study together, but his friend had spent far more time attempting to avoid said studying and trying instead to get Ken to agree to play video games with him. Ken had finally managed to convince him to settle down enough to squeeze in an hour or so of study time before he had to go home for dinner, but even then Daisuke couldn’t seem to go more than ten minutes without complaining and begging to take a break. It was a miracle they’d gotten any work done at all.
Ken headed back to his room, stretching his arms and yawning. His parents wouldn’t be home for another hour, so he planned to take it easy until then.
With a sigh, he plopped down onto his bed, glancing to look down at his partner, whose eyes snapped open as he was bounced by the sudden movement.
“Sorry,” Ken smiled, reaching down to rest his hand gently on the Digimon’s head. “Were you sleeping? You’ve been awfully quiet today.”
Wormmon shrugged, but leaned into the affectionate touch. “Just thinking, I guess.”
“Yeah?” Ken let himself fall onto his back, his legs dangling over the side of the bed. He rested his hands on his stomach, twining his fingers together. “Anything you wanna share?” Ken didn’t prod Wormmon into telling him anything, as his partner could be quite a private individual at times, but he always made it clear that he was willing to listen.
“Not really…” Wormmon’s reply was hesitant. “I mean, it’s really not anything important. What about you? Did you enjoy spending time with Daisuke?”
“Sure.” Ken smiled at the ceiling. “I always do. It’s too bad V-mon didn’t come along though; I hope you weren’t too bored.”
“I wasn’t,” Wormmon replied immediately, something present in his voice that Ken couldn’t identify. “Thank you for thinking of me, though…I appreciate it.”
Ken’s brow furrowed, and he rolled over onto his side to look at his partner. “Wormmon, are you doing okay? I’m sorry—I don’t mean to pry—” he added quickly, waving his hand, “—but you seem upset…Did something happen?”
A few years ago, Ken probably wouldn’t even have suspected anything was wrong. But they’d both grown so much, and so close, in that time, that now it was almost impossible for either of them to miss the signs when the other was upset. As much as Ken respected his partner’s privacy, Wormmon’s well-being mattered far more.
Wormmon didn’t look him in the eye. He sighed. “Ken-chan,” he began quietly, “Daisuke makes you really happy, doesn’t he?”
Ken wasn’t sure where this was going. “Well…yeah, of course. He’s my best friend—after you, of course. Why do you ask?”
Wormmon tensed just enough for Ken to notice. “I think you make him really happy, too.” His voice was barely a whisper now. “He—he really loves you, Ken-chan.”
“Wormmon…?” Ken sat up and slid down onto the floor, so now he was face to face with Wormmon, who remained on the bed. But his partner didn’t look at him. “Wormmon, what is this about?”
Wormmon continued to stare down at the bedspread, afraid that if he looked him in the eye, Ken might realize how upset he really was. He couldn’t be so selfish!
“Ken-chan, are you going to become Daisuke’s…boyfriend?” His voice wavered on the last word and he swallowed.
“What?” Ken was dumbstruck. Did Wormmon really think…? After everything he and Wormmon had been through together…? “Wormmon, I love Motomiya-kun; he’s a wonderful friend and...honestly, I would give my life for him, but…I don’t want to be with him that way. I’m happy with how we are. Really, really happy.”
Wormmon immediately looked up, his relief obvious on his features. So, he’d been reading Ken and Daisuke’s relationship wrong the whole time? Wormmon had never felt so glad to be mistaken.
“O-of course, that makes sense!” he exclaimed. “I’m sorry to have jumped to conclusions, Ken-chan. I’m sure you’re happier being single, anyway.”
It felt as if something small had caught in Ken’s throat. His brow furrowed. “Single?”
Wormmon hesitated, wondering why Ken’s demeanor had suddenly shifted. “Well….yes. You said you didn’t want to be with Daisuke.”
The corners of Ken’s mouth twisted downwards, and his heart began to sink lower and lower in his chest. “But…I—I don’t understand. What are you saying?”
Wormmon frowned, realizing now that something was wrong, but not quite sure what. “That…that you don’t have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend,” he added hurriedly. “Am—am I wrong?”
There was a moment of aching silence between them before Ken responded, and when he did, his words came out slightly choked. “No, I—I guess not. But I—I thought I did.”
Wormmon’s eyes widened. Wait. So Ken had…oh god. So that’s why he wasn’t interested in Daisuke? His Ken-chan already had someone in his life that he had feelings for. But why didn’t Wormmon know about it?! Didn’t Ken share everything with him?
Maybe he didn’t want him to know.
Maybe he knew exactly how Wormmon felt, and he hadn’t told him so as to spare his feelings.
He couldn’t be a burden on his Ken-chan like this! He needed to be supportive of his partner, even if it hurt. He needed to let go of these feelings and put Ken first. He had to.
“I didn’t know you were dating someone,” Wormmon said softly, staring down at the sheets again and trying his best not to start crying. “I-I’m happy for you. Who is it?”
Ken’s reply was so faint, it was nearly imperceptible. “I—I thought it was you.”
Wormmon could swear his heart had simply stopped beating.
I’ve completely misunderstood everything, Ken thought dazedly to himself. But what about the adventures they’d shared? What about all the dates they’d gone on? (It was Wormmon who had suggested that lovely boat ride…) What about the nights when they had cuddled under the blankets and laughed and shared secrets together? Had he completely misinterpreted all of it?
Ken wanted to sink through the floor; he’d never felt so stupid and humiliated in his entire life. Of course they weren’t dating. Of course Wormmon only saw him as a friend. Why would a Digimon want to date a human? Especially a horrible, nasty, abusive human like him, the Digimon Kaiser, the one who had killed—
…Why was Wormmon looking at him that way? And why—
Ken’s thought was left unfinished, however, because almost immediately he was bowled over onto the floor as Wormmon leapt into his arms with a squeal of absolute joy. A blinding light filled the room, and when Ken had blinked back the spots from his eyes, Stingmon was over top of him, nearly filling up his entire bedroom with his enormous evolved form. His huge eyes sparkled.
“Ken-chan!” Stingmon’s face was practically glowing with elation, and was trembling visibly. “Ken-chan!” He couldn’t find any other words to say as he gazed down with pure joy at his partner, his best friend, his boyfriend?!?
It was as if the room was spinning around Ken, and he was vaguely aware that his face felt hot. He tried to collect his thoughts enough to figure out what was going on, but it was really difficult to concentrate when his handsome, muscular partner was towering over him and looking for all the world as if he were about to start crying.
“Ken-chan,” he repeated, this time in a hushed voice filled with wonder and trepidation. “Do you really feel that way about me?”
“O-of course I do,” Ken stammered, a notion beginning to dawn in his mind that perhaps they’d both been very confused about the whole situation. “Didn’t you know that?”
Stingmon slowly shook his head in wonder. “I’ve always known you loved me, Ken-chan. You’ve always been so kind and gentle to me. But…”
A shy smile broke out on Ken’s face. “Wormmon…you’re my partner. We were born to meet each other.” He took a deep breath. “I love you in every way possible.”
“Ken-chan…” Stingmon’s voice was hushed. “I—I love you too. I’m so sorry for misunderstanding... I didn’t think you would ever…I mean, not for someone like me…”
“Someone like you?” Ken replied softly. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve never deserved someone like you in my life.” He pushed himself to his feet and wrapped his arms around Stingmon’s neck, leaning up to press a kiss to his forehead. “I want to be with you, Wormmon. For as long as you’ll have me.”
“Forever!” Stingmon blurted out. “Ken-chan, I never want to be apart from you!”
“Wormmon…” Ken’s eyes grew wet, and he rested his forehead against his partner’s strong chest. He had never felt so loved. It felt as if everything had finally fallen into place, and they were both right where they were supposed to be.
Well, except for one thing.
“Um, Wormmon?”
“Yes?”
“Maybe you should devolve now.”