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Steam wafted off his arms into the cool night air as Takeru put them onto the bathtub rim and exhaled deeply.
Today had been stressful. He had told his grandparents about his plans of moving to Den City and they had immediately started asking him about details.
When was he going? Where would he stay? What would he need for school?
They hadn’t asked him about his reasons, probably because they were glad he had decided to finally do something on his own. They hopefully didn’t need to know more for the time being.
He was glad. It was one less thought on his mind while he tried to plan for his move.
He brushed his damp hair back with one hand. He’d thought a bath would relax him but his thoughts were still racing and wouldn’t let him calm down.
He got out and dried himself off, then headed back to his room with his towel around his shoulders.
It was only when he opened the door, and Flame’s voice greeted him from the duel disk next to his TV, that he remembered that he didn’t have his room to himself any more. He pulled down his towel to cover himself.
“Still not used to you being here.”
He muttered.
Flame wasn’t bothered and continued talking while Takeru headed for his wardrobe to dig out a pair of boxers.
“It’s summer. I’m surprised you’re not walking around like this all the time.”
“It's just not comfortable with you here, ok?”
Takeru said as he pulled on his underwear, aware that a glowing eye was still fixed on him.
At least Flame was staying in the duel disk like he had told him to.
“I take it you still don’t want to work on your avatar then?”
“No, I’m beat.”
Takeru let himself fall onto his bed and rolled over, facing the wall, eyes closed.
Flame’s humanoid form peeked out from the duel disk and waited to see if Takeru was going to say anything else.
He was proud of him for actually going through with the move, but he wanted to push him a little bit more. Watching his back he could tell that Takeru was breathing too quickly to already be asleep, but he was going to wait for a bit to see if he changed his mind.
Silence filled the room and thoughts filled Takeru’s head once again. He turned around.
Once he returned to Den City he would be able to meet his three heroes. He wondered what they were really like, what he should say, who he would meet first.
His ignis was probably going to meet with Playmaker’s, so meeting him first was very likely. On the other hand there hadn’t been any news about him being active in Link Vrains recently, while both Go and Blue Angel were still active, albeit not as much as before.
Takeru turned back around to face the wall again and only then realised how tense he was. He unknit his brow and relaxed his jaw with a sigh and tried to get comfortable.
If he met either Go or Blue Angel first, would it be alright for him to ask them for a duel? Even before going against Hanoi both of them had probably gotten swarmed by eager fans every day. Now it would be even harder to get to duel them.
He opened his eyes and turned around again, annoyed that he couldn’t stop his train of thought. He propped himself up to grab his water bottle next to the bed when he made eye contact with Flame’s humanoid form watching him from his duel disk.
“Oh!”
Flame just said, realising he got caught, and dove back into the duel disk.
Takeru was still wary of him being there and not at all used to his small ignis form. He had told him so again and again, but Flame still sometimes appeared in front of him, either oblivious or doing it on purpose.
“Were you watching me sleep?”
Takeru asked, irritated.
“No. I can hardly watch you sleep if you don’t sleep.”
“Don’t act smart with me.”
Takeru sighed and got up to put on a pair of joggers and a shirt.
“I’m going for a walk.”
He said and Flame immediately asked him to wait.
“Take me with you!”
He said.
Takeru was already at the door.
“I need to think about stuff. I can’t do that with you constantly babbling at me.”
With that he opened the door and stepped out.
“Your overthinking will get you nowhere if you ever have to duel seriously. Don’t you want to know how I’m planning for us to meet Playmaker?”
Takeru froze with his hand on the door and didn’t close it, instead he stepped back into the room and reluctantly took his duel disk before leaving.
Takeru nodded at Flame’s plan as they were walking along the fields near his house.
“Great! That means I’m meeting Playmaker first!”
Having just this rough plan seemed to reassure and relax him already.
Flame could see his eyes light up. He liked that look. He decided to push on.
“You know, Takeru, you could make a great first impression with a well thought-out avatar.”
Takeru didn’t reply immediately, instead he continued walking for a few paces until they reached a rundown bus stop shelter and took a seat.
“Ok then, let’s make my avatar!”
He said, raising his arm so Flame’s eye and his met directly.
“We can best work on it after logging into a private network of our own. That way you can see it directly while nobody else can, just in case you don’t like it. All that requires is a short, physical connection while I set it up.”
Takeru, only understanding half of what Flame had said but now eager to get his avatar done, cut him off a little too quickly.
“Sure, yeah, let’s do that.”
“That’s what I like to hear! Now just keep still.”
Flame said, and before Takeru had a chance to ask what he meant Flame’s ignis body came up and out of the duel disk.
Flame extended his hand and put it flat on Takeru’s forehead.
“Logging in!”
He said and Takeru suddenly couldn’t move any more.
He heard Flame’s voice fade and saw his vision blur into static. He quickly blinked a few times and when his vision cleared the bus stop had changed to a small room about the size of his own, made of uneven blocks. Everything had the same untextured grey colour. The blocks he was sitting on were somewhat soft to the touch, similar to his mattress at home.
With a small plopping sound Flame left the duel disk on his wrist and floated into the room.
“What did you do? Where are we?”
Takeru stammered, once again able to but now too afraid to move.
Flame quickly explained it again to try and calm him down.
“I didn’t have time to make anything fancier in just a second.”
He added.
Takeru was still not moving, breathing quickly. Flame called his name, but when he finally got his attention he could see the panic in Takeru’s eyes. He held out his hands but Takeru was shrinking away from them, still afraid of his ignis form.
“Please, Takeru, calm down! I cannot log you out if you’re resisting me.”
He tried, but when Takeru closed up more, eyes pressed shut and raised his own arms defensively, he stopped.
Lowering his arms he instead let his body grow roughly to Takeru’s size and stretched his torso and legs out until they formed a flat blanket. His head and arms he left the same and wrapped Takeru in the rest. He didn’t know if any of this would work, but he had to try and get Takeru to open up to him.
His hands, now bigger than Takeru’s, reached upwards and for Takeru’s face, where he softly put them around his cheek and chin. Takeru flinched at their touch but then Flame felt him relaxing a bit.
When Takeru dared to look again, the only light he could see came from Flame’s eyes, their steady glow illuminating them both. The touch of his hands felt strange, neither warm nor cold, soft but dry.
He noticed Flame’s form had grown, and being only able to look at him in the otherwise dark and quiet cocoon he had made, he did just that, studying the lighter red pattern on his face.
Flame called his name again and for the first time Takeru wasn’t afraid. He breathed in and out deeply and placed his own hands over Flame’s on his cheeks. Finally he was calming down.
“My bad for logging you in. We can log out now if-.”
“Wait!”
Takeru interrupted, his voice still a bit shaky.
He pushed Flame’s hands down from his face and grabbed Flame’s face in the same way. The sensation was the same. Flame’s face was soft but dry to the touch, neither cold nor warm.
It felt like he could stretch it but when he took hold of Flame’s cheeks he couldn’t.
“This is so weird.”
Takeru laughed.
“What are you doing?”
Flame was confused at him suddenly being so open, but to see him laugh, even at his expense, was strangely calming to him, too.
“Sorry, sorry!”
Takeru released him, still laughing.
“You really aren’t that scary up close.”
He said and Flame realised that being able to touch him had made him tangible and therefore understandable and less frightening.
“Then can I unwrap us now?”
Takeru nodded in response, taking in the room again as Flame was retracting his body and legs, shrinking again back to his usual form as he did so.
Takeru sighed, stretched out his legs and got up. He stretched upwards, then shook out his arms, all while still looking at Flame.
“This is the first time I’m getting a good look at you.”
He finally said and Flame cocked his head expectantly, arms crossed.
“You really are the ignis of fire, from the looks of it at least. Pretty cool!”
“‘Pretty cool’? Is that all?”
Flame said, a bit offended.
“So far? Yes. Maybe you can change my opinion if your idea for my avatar is any good.”
Takeru said with a grin and held out his fist.
Flame took him up on it and bumped one of his fingers with his own fist in response.
Takeru opened his eyes and blinked a few times until his vision cleared. He was looking up at the stars, sitting on a wooden bench of a bus stop.
So he was back.
He pushed himself up, raising his left arm until the duel disk was level with his chest.
“It’s ok, come out.”
He said and Flame did, slowly, until most of his torso was showing.
“So? What do you think now?”
He asked, crossing his arms again, waiting.
“Yes, very handsome!”
Takeru said, and through his purposefully dismissive tone Flame could only hear the truth of his words as they walked home.