Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What would my head be like, if not for my shoulders or without your smile?

The first day of autumn didn’t really feel all that autumn-like. The air was a sticky sort of warm that could only be associated with summer, and the trees lining the streets all still carried green leaves. The only indication that the seasons had changed was the darkness that crept up on them earlier and earlier every evening.

Takeru’s feet carried him down the long stretches of sidewalk between the bar he’d just left and his apartment. The blond glanced at his watch— 9:57 PM. Every shop he passed was either closed or closing, and nobody but a handful of employees and business owners at the end of their shifts were out and about. Without anyone he cared about around to see him, Takeru was free to hang his head and look as glum as he felt. Though he’d have to make sure to reapply that smile once he got home to Patamon.

Tonight was one of the longest dates Takeru had ever been on. They’d gone shopping, then to a movie, then out to a bar. Everything had been going alright, until suddenly it wasn’t. Until someone nearby said something that sounded like “Digimon”, and Takeru’s mind instinctively went to Patamon, and to the fact that he’d left his partner alone for far too long tonight. Takeru knew his companion hadn’t wanted the night to end— and that was confirmed the moment Takeru abruptly stood up to leave, shock and hurt etched on his date’s face.

But Takeru didn’t want to be there anymore. He needed to escape. He started the trek back to his apartment at a brisk pace, heart still squeezing with guilt at how he’d left things. He told his date the truth— that his Digimon partner needed him. There had been a short argument, and an inevitable breakup. Or as much of a breakup as there could be, after only four dates with a person.

When the blond was about halfway home with only four more blocks until he reached his apartment complex, his pace slowed a bit. Takeru was starting to regret his decision to leave the date. Now that his mind was clearer, it seemed almost silly that he couldn’t have stayed on that date for another hour. Or gone home with that person. He still had plenty of time left with Patamon after all— most of the markers on his Digivice were still intact.

He felt guilty on the date for not seeing Patamon, and he’ll most certainly feel guilty at home for being a dumbass and causing the end of something that could have been good for him.

There was a nebulous, intangible third place that Takeru desperately needed sometimes. Someplace that wasn’t outside or inside. A place that wasn’t school or work or home or even bars and shops. Takeru enjoyed the company of people, but sometimes he wanted to be somewhere that didn’t have so many of them. The Digital World briefly flashed through his mind, but then he remembered that they were avoiding it as much as possible.

Takeru stopped walking and pulled out his phone, texting the first person he could think of that might be around for him to visit.

Takeru couldn’t help but smile down at his phone before putting it away in his pocket. He was feeling a little better now, but not quite good enough to go back home to Patamon and crawl into bed. He needed something to do to take his mind off the date he just had.

On a whim, Takeru looked up at the sign on the restaurant he had randomly stopped in front of. “Ramen Yamatoya”, it said. Ever since he moved to this part of town to be closer to his university, Takeru would pass by this place almost every day without a second thought.

He glanced at the “Closed” sign hanging on the door.

Suddenly Ramen Yamatoya was ringing a bell. A memory from a few months ago came flooding to the front of his mind.

They’d been here, at Ramen Yamatoya, when Daisuke told them they could visit after hours. At the time, they had been celebrating him becoming an apprentice at this very restaurant. Takeru stared curiously at the front of the establishment now. Dark curtains were pulled across the windows, so there was no way of knowing if Daisuke was actually inside. Takeru didn’t know what urged him to do it— maybe it was that lingering restlessness— but he decided to knock on the heavy wooden front door.

Daisuke turned down the volume on the music streaming from his phone when he noticed V-mon had fallen asleep in one of the booths. It had been a good evening— the owner had let him close the restaurant by himself for the first time, and the patrons that stayed to the end of the night all seemed to enjoy Daisuke’s company. His Saturday evening was still young, however, as he wanted to spend a couple hours planning out some recipes.

He’d long since given up on his friends ever stopping by to try out his cooking at this time of night, but he wasn’t bitter about it. They all had school and work and studying and studying abroad and whatnot. Maybe the next time Miyako was in the country, they could sit down for some bowls of ramen. Daisuke smiled at the thought of his food bringing everyone together— That’s all he ever wanted in life, honestly.

The next song on the playlist had a nice beat, and Daisuke knew it by heart. He gently tapped his notepad with the end of his pencil in time with the music. Daisuke was so lost in the song that he almost didn’t hear the knocking on the restaurant’s door. Almost being the key word. Because eventually the knocking grew louder.

Maybe V-mon forgot to flip the sign to "closed". Daisuke jumped off his stool and made his way around the ramen bar and toward the great wooden front door. He peeked around one of the nearby curtains, expecting to see a drunk patron, or even the owner having forgotten his keys.

His eyebrows rose when he saw who was outside. Seeing Takeru Takaishi standing there all by his lonesome was a little bit of a shock. Maybe it shouldn’t be all that surprising, since Ramen Yamatoya was on Takeru’s route from school to home. Daisuke’s heart made a tiny leap in his chest.

Takeru hilariously continued to knock, despite nobody answering. Before unlocking the door, Daisuke decided he wanted to mess with him for a minute. So he knocked back. The other man’s knocking stopped instantly as he presumably stood staring at the door in a confused manner. Then..

The knocking that responded was slower now, but louder. When it stopped, Daisuke repeated the same pattern back to him from the other side of the door. The two men kept this up for a good minute before he finally heard a muffled.

Daisuke grinned and finally let the guy in.

Daisuke snapped his fingers. The blond stepped further into the restaurant.

He hoped that question didn’t sound impolite, but people could sometimes take his tone the wrong way. Takeru shrugged.

Daisuke thankfully was able to keep that comment to himself, though it definitely threatened to spill out.

As they made their way to the ramen bar on the opposite side of the room, he couldn’t help noticing how nicely dressed Takeru was tonight. Not that Daisuke was one to usually notice those things about him, but when it was blatantly obvious a guy was dressed up, that was difficult to ignore.

The man had on a three-quarter length sleeved shirt, a navy vest, black jeans, and an insufferably cool hat. Daisuke only knew it was called a trilby because Takeru used to get annoyed when people called it a fedora. He was like a walking internet meme, that one.

Daisuke made his way around to the employee side of the ramen bar. After sitting down on one of the stools, Takeru removed his hat and set it on the counter.

“Tribble” earned him an eyeroll, and a small smile. But the hat was back on Takeru’s head in seconds flat.

Takeru snorted.

They chatted idly for a few minutes, just shooting the breeze. To be honest, Daisuke didn’t really know what to talk to him about. Should he ask what the guy was doing before he showed up? Should he comment on his clothes? Should he treat him like a regular patron and leave personal questions alone?

Daisuke decided against treating him like a regular customer. Because at the end of the day, Daisuke and Takeru had been friends for ten years. Of course they’d had their differences when they were kids— Daisuke always burned too hot and Takeru’s vibes were just a little too chill for his liking. But after Daisuke’s crush on Hikari fizzled out, any truly dark feelings he had toward Takeru melted away with it.

As they grew into teens, and eventually young adults, Daisuke never felt the need force a closer friendship with Takeru. They coexisted as friends who weren’t best friends but still friendly enough to kid around when they were in a group setting. He couldn’t remember the last time he was alone with the blond, however. Maybe Daisuke should make a concerted effort to delve into what was going on with Takeru these days, since he was the only person so far to take Daisuke up on his ramen offer.

Takeru’s blue eyes met Daisuke’s for a moment. He couldn’t claim to be the type of person who knew what was wrong with someone just by gazing deeply into their eyes or whatever, so Daisuke made a not-so-educated guess.

Takeru tilted his head.

He had a point, though. Takeru wasn’t known to display his emotions easily. But he had to be here today for some reason other than to spend time with Daisuke.

When he didn’t explain himself further, Daisuke sighed and put his hands on his hips.

Takeru rubbed the back of his neck.

Daisuke perked up at this.

The blond chuckled.

All he got was a bright, shit-eating grin in response.

Takeru snorted again.

Daisuke balled up a napkin and chucked it at his friend’s stupid face. Takeru caught it mid-air, reminding Daisuke that even though he wasn’t overly sporty, the blond still had great reflexes.

With a pot set firmly on the stove, Daisuke began maneuvering his way around the kitchen, preparing a serving of ramen. All the chatting and knocking on wooden doors had barely phased the sleeping V-mon, but once the smell of food was in the air, his partner was instantly on his feet.

It was a good question.

Daisuke turned around and gave Takeru a curious look.

Takeru seemed a bit shifty at this statement, which Daisuke took to mean he was on the right track.

Daisuke said as he turned back around to continue making the food.

Daisuke and Takeru both chuckled.

He served the ramen, also giving V-mon a serving and watching as his Digimon carefully brought it back over to the booth he was previously napping in. Daisuke made an executive decision to reach under the counter and grab a bottle of saké along with two cups for himself and Takeru. Because bad dates sucked— he’d certainly had a few of them himself.

Daisuke felt his cheeks heating up, so he briefly turned around, pretending to wash his hands.

Takeru laughed, a truly gleeful laugh that seemed to break through that facade he’d been putting up since he arrived. He still wasn’t giving Daisuke the whole story, though.

Daisuke pulled up a stool— one much higher than the stool Takeru sat at so he could see over the multi-level ramen counter. There he was, being shifty again, the blond’s eyes boring a hole into the wall opposite him.

That drew his attention back to Daisuke with a surprised laugh.

That comment seemed to hit a nerve.

They blinked at each other. Then Takeru’s eyes widened dramatically and he clapped a hand over his mouth.

The words came out muffled from behind his hand.

All of Takeru’s confidence seemed to drain away with the color in his face. Not that Daisuke was paying that much attention— he was still trying to… to process . When Takeru finally spoke again, it sounded a little strained.

Daisuke shut his mouth, which had been hanging open.

The other man drew in a deep breath and gripped the edge of the counter.

Hearing the word was what did it. Daisuke couldn’t help himself— he started to laugh. Hard. A loud scooting noise on the floor told him Takeru was getting out of his seat.

Daisuke immediately began waving his hands back and forth, tears of mirth forming in the corners of his eyes.

His chest felt weirdly light, like he’d just been told he got a high score on an exam. It was a super peculiar feeling to be having right now, but he didn’t have the time to parse what that meant. Because there was rare anger in Takeru’s eyes. Anger that definitely didn’t need to be there.

Daisuke swirled his hand around in the air, willing the proper words to form in his brain so he could explain this truly unbelievable thing that was happening. He finally decided the simplest answer was best, and set his hand on his chest.

It was Takeru’s turn to look shocked for a split second, before the corners of his mouth twitched upward.

Then Takeru began to laugh too.

When they had calmed down enough and sat back down in their seats, Takeru finally took a bite of his ramen.

In the midst of the whole “bisexual” thing, Daisuke had completely forgotten that he wanted feedback on his cooking.

Takeru took off his hat, ran a nervous hand through his hair, and then set the hat down on the stool next to him. His cheeks were a little pink, but it could have been the warm lighting of the restaurant.

Daisuke cocked his head to the side in confusion.

They both sighed.

Takeru nodded slowly. Daisuke gave him a small smile and held up his cup of saké.

Maybe it’s because he’d miraculously found camaraderie with Daisuke, but Takeru actually opened up about what really happened on his bad date. About how he thought the date went on too long while he was leaving Patamon alone. How being away from his Digimon partner was scary these days, when their time was so limited. Not being a Chosen Child, Takeru’s date hadn’t understood the fleeting nature of how long Takeru had left with Patamon, and the date ended with a lot of sore feelings.

Daisuke empathized more than anyone else possibly could. He got antsy just going to classes without V-mon more times than he cared to admit. There was one question burning in his mind however:

Takeru caught his eye.

Daisuke sucked in a breath, and it caught in his throat when his friend gave him a tentative, but genuine smile.

Daisuke Motomiya and Takeru Takaishi had never been best friends. They’d barely spent time together without their other friends around. But the rest of that first autumn evening, and well past midnight, was spent drinking and joking around and getting acquainted with this new thing they knew about each other.

It shouldn’t have been all that different than before, it really shouldn’t have. Being bisexual wasn’t that big of a deal. But it was funny how suddenly knowing another queer person could shift a friendship in such a profound way. Daisuke hoped, prayed even, that Takeru would continue to consider this ramen shop an “escape”.

Chapter Text

I am a man of many hats although I never mastered anything

Takeru still wasn’t entirely sure what drove him to knock on the restaurant door that night, but he was undoubtedly grateful that he did. As he’d suspected, when he got home that night Patamon questioned him excitedly about his date. And Takeru told him the truth— that he wasn’t going to see that guy anymore, and that maybe, possibly, probably, he’d be going to visit Daisuke more often. This thrilled Patamon to no end, and Takeru figured this was because Patamon already knew and liked Daisuke.

Who didn’t like Daisuke, really? He was a delight to be around. 

Takeru visited again the following weekend, bringing his laptop so he could chip away at his novel while Daisuke did homework. That ended up being a great decision, because Daisuke had some insight about the Digital World that Takeru hadn’t considered before.

They joked around with Patamon and V-mon. They watched a terrible anime on the TV above the bar. They ate ramen and mochi ice cream and took shots of whatever the restaurant had under the counter. It was fun.

And the dam had broken regarding the topic of sexuality. Suddenly, Takeru had someone to talk to about something he’d assumed he could never talk about. Sure, Hikari knew about his bisexuality, as did his brother, but neither of them really understood what that meant for him. Neither of them understood how difficult it was to date men. About how he wanted to date men, but usually ended up seeing women because it was easier.

But Daisuke of all people— the man who he always thought he had very little in common with— shared a similar bisexual experience. Takeru, by nature, tended to hold back and be very careful about what he told other people. But Daisuke’s hot-blooded, over-sharing personality had Takeru opening up like never before. He didn’t have to hold back with Daisuke, and he found he didn’t want to.

On a cool Saturday evening, after sitting in his office typing all day, Takeru received a text. It was from a number he had already deleted, but he knew from the previous message logs that it was the guy he’d been on that bad date with.

Takeru’s heart sank. He just didn’t get it. How could he understand when he didn’t have a Digimon partner himself? How could Takeru possibly describe the indescribable? The feeling of having a best friend who is also your platonic soulmate who is also kind of like having a child, but also completely and totally different? Because unlike having a child, Patamon could be left alone. But at the cost of wasting precious, limited time.

The text bounced around in his brain for the next few minutes. Guilt swirled in his chest again, even though Takeru knew realistically that their relationship wasn’t going to suddenly pick back up and be completely fine. Takeru had gone out with friends multiple times since that night, but he hadn’t attempted to find any more dates. If he was being honest with himself, the effort that went into dating was exhausting, even just to think about.

The blond stood up and stretched. The clock on his desk told him that Ramen Yamatoya would be closing in 20 minutes.

Takeru pulled on a hat, woke his Digimon partner, and trekked the four blocks down to his new favorite restaurant.

Takeru knocked on the great wooden front door of Ramen Yamatoya and waited for the usual knocks that followed from the other side. When 60 seconds ticked by without a response, he knocked again more loudly. Patamon clung to his shoulder.

Then Takeru realized with a twist in his chest that Daisuke didn’t have any obligation to tell him when he would and would not be staying late at the restaurant. Takeru reached forward and grabbed the handle to see if the door was unlocked.

And suddenly, Takeru was pitching forward as the door opened from the inside. Patamon screeched and took off. A hand reached out and clasped Takeru’s arm before he could fall flat on his face.

Takeru situated himself and then turned back around to see Patamon take a lap around a nearby streetlamp.

The Digimon flew back toward them at double speed and zoomed in through the now open door.

The Digimon called from inside the restaurant. Daisuke chuckled. Takeru put a hand on his hip and frowned at his friend.

Takeru huffed in annoyance, but he was secretly glad that Daisuke was exactly where he expected him to be tonight. The blond tried to slow his speeding heart as he followed Daisuke inside. Patamon joined V-mon at a booth in the corner, where the dragon-like Digimon was building a card tower.

While following Daisuke and taking their usual seats at the ramen bar, one thing became extremely apparent to Takeru— Daisuke was not wearing his chef’s outfit today. Instead, his friend had on a dark red v-neck and a pair of jeans. A tight pair of jeans.

He hoped to god that Daisuke hadn’t noticed him staring. Takeru wasn’t checking him out… He was just so used to seeing Daisuke wear shorts, even in the dead of winter, that the jeans were kind of a surprise.

The blond shook his head.

Daisuke winked, and Takeru tried his best to keep a normal, chill expression. Had Daisuke always been so outwardly… flirty ? Was flirty even the right word for it? Takeru felt a weird ball of excitement flitter around in his chest, which was difficult to quash. 

That sly grin needed to be wiped off Daisuke’s face immediately.

His friend’s eyebrows rose up high on his forehead.

Daisuke placed his hands on his thighs and Takeru’s eyes were drawn to them for the shortest of seconds.

He said as he closed his notepad and slipped it into the backpack he had leaned up against the bar.

Takeru snorted.

Daisuke wagged a finger at him.

Takeru barked out a laugh that echoed off the walls. That statement was just too absurd.

That shit-eating grin on Daisuke’s face was the only thing keeping Takeru from completely believing him.

The question was out of his mouth before he’d really thought it through. Daisuke had the decency to look embarrassed now. He smiled up at the lights above him with mock innocence. That should have been the first sign that Takeru was in for trouble.

Takeru pointed at Daisuke’s chest with an accusatory finger. Daisuke bit his bottom lip to keep from grinning, but his cheeks were red— plain as day even with the restaurant’s lighting. Takeru, meanwhile, was about to lose his mind. His brain was threatening to leak out of his ears. And his own face was probably as warm as Daisuke’s.

Takeru threaded his fingers through his hair, knocking his hat to the ground in the process. He groaned.

Daisuke held up a finger. Then he jumped off his seat and sauntered off to the other side of the ramen bar. A few seconds later he emerged from under the counter with two shot glasses and a bottle of vodka.

After downing a shot, the blond rested his forehead against the countertop. It was a cool feeling against his burning face. Though why should he be embarrassed? It was Daisuke who had the crush on his goddamn brother. 

Takeru kept his head down and let out a long sigh through his nose.

There was no way on god’s green earth he was telling Daisuke about his childhood crush on Sora, or his high school crush on Koushiro.

When he picked his head back up, Daisuke had pulled up a stool on the other side of the counter and rested his chin on his crossed arms. The other man gazed curiously down at Takeru with his soft, brown eyes, and the blond couldn’t help but stare back, since the guy was looking at him so interestedly.

It was an odd moment to notice how soft Daisuke looked in this lighting. How the warm overhead bulbs colored his cinnamon hair with a light golden tint. Even when Daisuke spoke next, it seemed softer than usual.

Takeru blinked away his previous thoughts.

The question caused his heart to jump ever so slightly in his chest, though not in a bad way. The genuineness of Daisuke’s question made Takeru feel oddly safe at that moment. His friend was always so straightforward, so he did deserve a straightforward answer.

Takeru couldn’t think of the right word, which as an author, kind of annoyed him.

Daisuke grinned warmly at him.

Now that they were talking about this, Takeru was curious…

His friend hummed in thought for a moment, rubbing his chin.

Takeru encouraged. Daisuke tapped a finger on his temple.

Daisuke threw his head back and laughed.

He poured Takeru another shot of vodka, which the blond gratefully accepted. The alcohol was absolutely 100% to blame for the next thing that came out of his mouth.

His friend gave Takeru an incredulous look.

Takeru tried to laugh it off, but his chest was suddenly on fire. Daisuke’s gaze followed his hand as Takeru instinctively ran his fingers through his hair.

That comment did absolutely nothing to prove to him that Daisuke hadn’t, at some point in his life, found Takeru attractive. He wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to hear. Because there was something strangely exciting about knowing another person was interested in you, even just on the surface level. The concept was wild, because a few short weeks ago, Daisuke being attracted to him wouldn’t have been an option on the table.

His friend rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Again, Takeru wasn’t sure why he was asking such a personal question. If this were anyone else, even Hikari, he might have held back. But for some reason— maybe due to the alcohol— he wanted to know.

Daisuke picked at the label on the vodka bottle.

Takeru shrugged. That had not been the answer he expected. But after thinking it over in his head for a moment, it tracked. Takeru had never seen Daisuke date anyone in high school and he never once bragged about dating to the rest of their group.

Daisuke was giving him a funny look now, like he was waiting for Takeru to ask something else.

Daisuke looked like he was about to cry, but thankfully for Takeru, he didn’t.

The words flowed out of Takeru’s mouth seemingly without his permission, but when he saw Daisuke’s empathetic smile after he said them, it was totally worth it.

They clinked their glasses together and each took a third shot. A warm feeling spread across Takeru’s chest as Daisuke launched into a detailed description of his “perfect date” which consisted of exactly what Takeru expected: Daisuke cooking the perfect ramen for someone’s taste buds.

Takeru bumped his fist against Daisuke’s and grinned.

The weather was unseasonably warm for late October and Daisuke found himself gazing longingly out the window for most of the day. He’d done this to himself, really— messing around all weekend instead of working on his big midterm project. The project involved designing and printing an actual recipe book to be graded by the professor, as well as cooking one of his dishes for the entire class.

Ramen Yamatoya was closed every Monday to give the owner a day’s rest each week. Daisuke usually had classes on Mondays, so he couldn’t spend time here like he did on the weekends. But this particular Monday, both of his classes had been canceled. What were the odds that on the exact day he needed to catch up on homework, he miraculously didn’t have any classes? 

The same odds, it seemed, that made the weather too nice while he was stuck indoors. He supposed not everything could work out in his favor.

The weekend had been a weird one. After all that talk with Takeru about dating, Daisuke decided to test the waters and ask one of his classmates out. She’d said yes pretty enthusiastically, but by the end of the date he’d gotten the:

Which was fine, really. Daisuke adored having friends. Cherished them more than anything. But that hadn’t exactly been what he was looking for. He’d maybe, possibly, just a little bit, wanted to brag to Takeru about finally getting past a first date with someone.

Speak of the devil, a familiar knock told him that the blond was on the other side of the door.

V-mon got to the door first and opened it to reveal Takeru along with two people Daisuke didn’t recognize.

Daisuke smiled brightly at his potential new patrons.

Apparently they had. All three of them were wearing shorts and t-shirts, and Takeru was carrying a basketball. Takeru explained that he and his friends had just finished shooting some hoops in a nearby park, and came here one a whim after Takeru promised them that the closed restaurant was secretly open.

Takeru winked at him. Was that the first time he’d ever done that? Daisuke couldn’t remember.

He introduced his friends, a guy and a girl, as Yamazaki and Mio. Yamazaki was tall, way taller than Daisuke, with short, almost buzzed hair. And Mio was about Hikari’s height with a long, black ponytail falling down her back. Both of them were extremely good-looking, even having just spent the afternoon running around a basketball court. Though Daisuke did have a bit of a thing for sporty people, so he might have been biased.

In any case, they seemed cool. As he and V-mon maneuvered around the kitchen, Daisuke listened to them chat cheerfully about their current writing projects.

Yamazaki and Mio complimented the delicious smell of his ramen, and Daisuke instantly liked them more. It was weird to see Takeru around non-Chosen friends, but he was happy the guy had them in his life. One could never have enough friends and acquaintances.

When Daisuke turned around to serve everyone their bowls of ramen, he noticed Takeru had set the basketball up on the counter.

Daisuke didn’t answer him, because the guy made a very good point.

Takeru snorted.

No, he hadn’t.

It was finally time to brag. Daisuke put his hands on his hips and grinned proudly.

Takeru’s face fell for the briefest of seconds. Weird.

Mio playfully slapped Takeru on the shoulder.

Daisuke grinned and pointed a thumb at her.

He winked.

Yamazaki took that moment to casually slip his arm around Mio’s back.

Not that Daisuke was curious if either of them were single. But for all he knew, Takeru could have been dating one of them. Not… that that mattered either.

Takeru rolled his eyes and took a bite of his ramen.

He held up a finger. Takeru raised his eyebrows.

Daisuke pulled out a notepad from under the counter and began scribbling down some potential recipe details.

He looked up, caught Takeru’s eye for a second, and grinned. A few minutes later, the blond slid off his stool and excused himself to the bathroom, leaving Daisuke alone with Yamazaki and Mio. Mio spoke up almost immediately after Takeru was gone.

Daisuke paused in the middle of writing something down in his notebook.

He pointed his pencil toward the bathroom door.

He sucked in a breath.

Mio hummed, the corners of her lips curling up into a mischievous smile.

Daisuke stared at her, his heart pounding.

The cinnamon-haired man swallowed and tried his best to stay cool.

His pencil dropped to the floor with a clatter. Daisuke laughed awkwardly and bent down to pick it up, willing his cheeks to stay a normal color. Takeru returned a minute later and noticed the exact thing Daisuke didn’t want him to.

The woman put her finger to her lips.

Daisuke turned around and made himself busy cleaning up the kitchen with V-mon. But his mind was whirring.

The truth was, Daisuke didn’t already know anything. He could make an educated guess about what Mio was implying— he wasn’t as oblivious as people assumed. His friendship with Takeru had undoubtedly changed recently, for the better even, but other than this hearsay about him calling Daisuke “cute”, there was no indication something more would come out of this change.

But… he couldn’t ignore the excited feeling bouncing around in his chest from the slightest possibility that Takeru was interested in him. Daisuke loved possibilities, even remote ones.

Takeru and his friends chatted amiably for the rest of the evening. Daisuke chimed in a few times, still hoping to hone those hospitality skills. After a few drinks and a lot of jokes about basketball, Daisuke had almost completely forgotten about Takeru calling him cute.

Yamazaki and Mio needed to take a train to get back to their apartments on the other side of town, so they bid Takeru and Daisuke farewell and left the restaurant together. Takeru took a jacket out of his gym bag and pulled it on, getting ready to leave himself. But instead of saying goodbye, he asked:

Blue eyes bore into Daisuke’s brown. A more eloquent person than Daisuke could wax poetic about Takeru’s eyes. Authors, like Takeru himself, always described blue eyes as “deep oceans” or “crystalline sapphires” and other overly flowery terms. And right now, Daisuke could not have agreed with them more.

That excited feeling from earlier was inching its way back into his chest. It took him a few moments to realize that his friend was waiting for a response.

Instead of looking disappointed by his answer, Takeru smiled. The blond’s eyes lingered on Daisuke’s for just a second longer, before:

He knocked twice on the counter, still smiling, and left the restaurant.

After that night, Daisuke made sure to be at Ramen Yamatoya every weekend night, just in case Takeru “I can’t bother to text ahead of time” Takaishi stopped by. And he did continue to show up without fail. They ate, drank, laughed, did homework, played cards with Patamon and V-mon, somehow lost at cards with Patamon and V-mon… and most interestingly, they flirted. Just a little bit— not enough to really mean anything significant— but Daisuke couldn’t help but adore the attention.

Daisuke felt waves of happiness every time Takeru knocked on that restaurant door. He knew he shouldn’t chase that feeling too hard, but it was difficult to ignore how good it felt for someone to be drawn to you.

Chapter Text

So don’t leave me to sleep all alone, may we stay lost on our way home

Daisuke asked one night, his voice almost a whisper. The two men were laying across the cushions on both sides of a booth, their legs dangling off each end. Patamon and V-mon sat on the other side of the room sipping bubble tea and chatting happily on top of the ramen counter.

After weeks of opening up to each other about their sexualities, Daisuke hoped the question didn’t come as a shock to Takeru. His friend turned his body a little bit so he could look at Daisuke under the table. Thankfully, he seemed pensive instead of offended.

Daisuke couldn’t pick up a hint of sadness in Takeru’s voice, but they were also talking very quietly.

Takeru grinned.

Daisuke found an accusatory finger pointed in his direction, though he knew it was only half-hearted— almost like a running gag at this point.

A pause, and then:

Daisuke snapped his fingers.

That earned a little snort from Takeru.

It was a huge regret of Daisuke’s, having never come out to the friend he was closest to. He loved Ken like family, like a brother. He’d always assumed that Ken would be the first person he told, and that everyone else in his life would fall into place after that.

That weird little moment when he came out to Takeru had been a surprise to Daisuke. It had come bursting out of him in the middle of all the excitement of suddenly having a queer friend. But everything that came after— all their talks just like the one they were having now— had emboldened him to poke curiously at the idea of coming out to more people.

The sky was too dark, almost ominously dark as Takeru ran as fast as he could toward the business district. The air was also too cold for a Monday in mid November, too biting for a night already marked with sorrow. It stung his cheeks and froze his throat as he raced faster and faster toward his destination. He knew Patamon was having a hard time staying on his shoulder as he ran, and eventually the Digimon let go and flew ahead of him. He prayed Patamon would stay near the streetlamps where he could see him.

When the sign for Ramen Yamatoya was in view, he sprinted faster until he reached the great wooden front door. Takeru grasped the handle and stood there for a moment, catching his breath. Once Patamon had landed back on his shoulder, Takeru turned the knob and realized the door was unlocked. Maybe Daisuke had expected him.

Takeru burst inside and was met with more darkness, save for one dimmed bulb behind the bar. Daisuke sat under it, staring at his phone. V-mon was on the stool next to him, both arms wrapped around one of his partner’s.

When Daisuke looked up, Takeru swallowed. He could see pain etched on the other man’s face. Tears didn’t stain Daisuke’s cheeks the way they did Takeru’s right now, but the rims of his eyes did look a little red, noticeable even under the warm lighting of that single bulb burning above him.

Takeru’s heart hurt. His throat hurt. He rushed up to the counter, Patamon clinging to the hood of his sweatshirt. The silence was deafening, and he just couldn’t deal with that right now. Takeru’s words came out strained, his voice shaking miserably.

Daisuke nodded slowly, his eyebrows knit together. Seeing sadness on Daisuke Motomiya’s face was almost criminal. Against all hope, would there be a reason for that smile to return tonight? Takeru gripped the edge of the bar to keep himself upright.

Takeru sniffled. He heard the sharp noise of Daisuke’s stool pushing backward as his friend stood up. As he waited for Daisuke and V-mon to make their way around to his side of the bar, Takeru braced himself for another stream of tears to overtake him. It was only two days ago that he was relaxing in the booth with his friend— laughing without a care in the world between them.

Daisuke saved him from tears by asking a question.

Takeru groaned in embarrassment, in spite of himself.

Daisuke chuckled lightly, the miraculous sound of it startling Takeru out of his embarrassment. Daisuke was always so full of little miracles.

Takeru swiped his arm across his wet eyes, but more tears threatened to spill out. Daisuke watched him carefully, concerned, but didn’t say anything else. Patamon was correct. Takeru had wanted to see Daisuke before anyone else. Something about the bond they’d forged over the past few months had him reaching out to Daisuke more and more, and now it had him grasping at any kind of relief for this sadness. He could have gone to Hikari, he’ll definitely still go to Hikari tomorrow. But Daisuke needed to be his first stop. Daisuke had been his fearless leader, and Daisuke was the one with a smile that could melt hearts. Daisuke was the one who—

A pair of arms slipped around Takeru’s back, pulling him in for a hug. The moment Takeru’s cheek brushed Daisuke’s ear, he realized there was no point in holding back anymore. His body was wracked by sobs. He hated to break down like this in front of another person. But somehow, because it was Daisuke— because Daisuke understood—  Takeru let his emotions take control.

Patamon’s tiny hands attached themselves to Takeru’s pant leg. The news must have been difficult for his partner to process too. He’d just lost a friend and longtime teammate. Takeru remembered, with a painful ache in his chest, when it happened to Gabumon. Patamon had been so nervous and devastated that he hid under Takeru’s blankets for days on end. And Takeru skipped classes for three days to be there for his brother and for Patamon.

None of this was easy for any of them.

Daisuke hummed in thought, but didn’t answer. Takeru continued, his words spilling out between sobs.

Eventually he pulled away from Daisuke, though he was still shaking a bit, just like he used to do as a kid when he was finished crying and looking for someone to give him a reason for his eyes to stay dry. This was how he used to express emotion in front of his brother, and he suddenly felt shame creep up from his stomach to his chest.

But Daisuke smiled gently at him. That smile was what he came here to see tonight— Takeru was inexplicably drawn to its warmth. Only now did he realize that Daisuke was holding both of his hands, making sure that warmth continued to radiate between them.

Daisuke drew in a slow, deep breath.

Takeru’s eyes bugged out. He stared at his friend in shock, his heart leaping into his throat. Did Daisuke, ever miraculous Daisuke, have a plan to stop their Digimon partners from disappearing? That couldn’t be true…

Daisuke shrugged.

He had a vague idea of what Daisuke was trying to say.

Daisuke squeezed Takeru’s hands.

Takeru’s head turned down to see Patamon gazing up at him with big, shining eyes.

Takeru took a great shuddering breath and felt himself leaning forward again, toward that warmth. He buried his face in the crook of Daisuke’s neck.

Incredibly, Takeru slowly began to feel better. Just as Daisuke had done when they were kids— when the dark sides of the Digital World clouded their judgments and pierced them with fear— Daisuke pulled Takeru out of the darkness with just a few simple, courageous words.

When they pulled away again, Takeru suddenly found a set of fingers running through his hair.

Takeru blinked at Daisuke, dumbstruck. Then, for the first time since he’d heard the news about Palmon, laughter bubbled up from his chest. Leave it to Daisuke to say the most absurd things.

Daisuke bumped Takeru’s shoulder with his own as he walked past him and back toward the bar.

Something unspoken changed between Takeru and Daisuke after that night. They touched more. Whenever Takeru swung by the restaurant, Daisuke would grab his arm to pull him inside, grinning and babbling about some new recipe or some weird little incident that happened in one of his classes. He would yank off Takeru’s hat and poke him in the forehead. Whenever Takeru furiously typed away on his laptop, Daisuke would get bored, walk around to his friend’s side of the counter, and sit so close that their shoulders or their knees would bump together.

Occasionally, Daisuke helped Takeru with his research on the Digital World for his novel.

Takeru laughed at this, but he felt a weird twist of jealousy in his chest. Was he envious of the idea that Daisuke would be getting dates from the novel Takeru was writing? That was such a silly thing to be jealous about, because realistically there’s no way that would happen.

Speaking of dates, Daisuke didn’t go on any more after that one girl from his class. And neither had Takeru, since that fateful day back in September. Takeru wasn’t all that bummed about it— it was almost a relief, really, to not have to force himself through all that hassle.

Sometimes Daisuke played music through his incredibly shitty phone speakers. Daisuke’s birthday was at the beginning of December, so Takeru bought him a bluetooth speaker. That night they danced to a playlist of American pop music curated by Mimi. Daisuke knew the full English lyrics to every song, and would sing them triumphantly to Takeru knowing his friend only understood half of the words. But Takeru found it oddly easy to match his enthusiasm.

Takeru had to admit that he was a little overwhelmed by all the attention from Daisuke. Overwhelmed, but not necessarily in a bad way. He was still getting used to being alone with him. In spite of his friend’s insistence that Takeru wasn’t the most special person in the room, Daisuke’s attention certainly made him feel special.

Takeru wasn’t attention-seeking by nature— well, maybe not any more than the average person. But something coursed through his veins every time he held Daisuke’s gaze. Something made him want Daisuke all to himself.

As the nights grew longer and colder, Daisuke was just so warm. And with the fear of losing Patamon always hanging over his head, Takeru needed that warmth.

Christmas Eve fell on a Monday that year, and Miyako flew home from India to visit her family and friends. As Hikari stepped inside the beautifully decorated Ramen Yamatoya to join her friends for dinner, she felt a pang of guilt for not taking the time to visit Daisuke here sooner. It must have been half a year ago when he first invited them to test out his cooking during off hours.

Garland and blinking lights were strung above the ramen bar, but Daisuke’s toothy smile was more welcoming than any decoration. When Hikari and Tailmon took their seats at the bar next to Takeru and Patamon, they caught the middle of a conversation about Iori’s part-time law office work.

Iori sighed.

Laughter filled the room. Miyako was the last to arrive, and she was bombarded with hugs the moment she entered. Daisuke took everyone’s orders and began cheerfully preparing their food, whistling Christmas songs as he set a pot on the stove to boil.

Hikari’s chest felt warm with happiness as she listened to Miyako gush about the beautiful places she’d visited in India. She was beyond thrilled that her friend was getting to see the world like she’d always wanted to.

Daisuke and V-mon served each person their bowls of ramen from right to left. Takeru was the last person to be served, and Hikari noticed Daisuke’s smile was at its brightest.

Takeru stared down at his bowl of ramen with suspicion. Daisuke turned to Hikari and winked at her.

Hikari giggled.

Takeru broke apart his chopsticks and poked the end of them into his bowl.

Takeru set down his chopsticks without taking a bite and turned to Hikari. Daisuke let out an annoyed breath through his nose.

Takeru bit his lip and grinned down at his uneaten ramen, looking slightly embarrassed. Hikari was surprised actually, that Takeru had been visiting Daisuke’s restaurant without the rest of their group. Were they really that close these days? She couldn’t recall them being anything other than casual friends in all the years they’d known Daisuke.

Ken spoke from the other end of the bar.

Daisuke grinned and shot Ken a peace sign.

All eyes were on Takeru as he carefully picked up some noodles with his chopsticks.

Then Takeru immediately turned back to Hikari.

Daisuke groaned and rested his forehead on the counter. It was kind of cute that he wanted Takeru to eat his ramen so badly.

Takeru should have held onto said hat, Hikari thought as she watched Daisuke reach out and yank it off his head. Because it was a beanie, the messy hat hair that it left behind was laughable— it stuck up in all different directions.

Hikari expected Daisuke to hide the hat under the counter. But instead, he removed the tinted glasses off his own head and set them on the bar before pulling on Takeru’s navy blue beanie. He looked pretty good in it, to be honest— it matched his chef’s outfit.

He winked and pointed a finger gun at Miyako. She snorted.

Hikari carefully turned her attention back to Takeru. Now that the hat wasn’t covering it, the tips of Takeru’s ears were noticeably pink as he stared back at Daisuke.

His hand moved fast, and in seconds flat Takeru had snatched up Daisuke’s tinted glasses from the counter and put them on over his eyes.

Takeru laughed out loud.

Hikari covered her mouth with her hand to hold back giggles.

Daisuke made to turn around and pick up V-mon.

Ken, with his long arms, grabbed the back of Daisuke’s shirt.

Daisuke pouted.

Takeru stood up with a casual grin on his face and leaned forward, his arms stretched out over the bar. Daisuke leaned over the bar as well, kneeling on a stool across from Takeru. They seemed to be locked in some sort of unspoken stalemate. That is, until Daisuke opened his mouth and said:

Takeru’s brows shot up.

Daisuke’s elbows bumped Takeru’s hands. Hikari expected Takeru to stay as cool as a cucumber like always, and maybe come up with some snippy little retort to Daisuke’s comment. So it came as a bit of a shock when she noticed the blush had spread from his ears to the rest of his face.

Their eyes were still locked on one another’s. Hikari felt heat rise to her own cheeks. 

As if a bubble had popped, the whole room burst into laughter. Takeru and Daisuke took that moment to pull back away from each other.

The group fell back into an easy conversation after that. And, to Daisuke’s relief, Takeru finally tried the ramen.

They spoke quietly to one another as the rest of the group were busy talking to Miyako about India. But with Hikari’s proximity to Takeru, she could still hear every word.

She tried not to look, but Hikari imagined Daisuke probably had a huge smile on his face.

Daisuke sucked in a quick breath.

Hikari was lost in thought for the rest of the evening, only pretending to pay attention to her friends as they chatted about what was going on in their lives. Her mind was on her best friend sitting next to her as he laughed and joked around with the group.

It had taken Takeru a while to get over Mimi’s loss of Palmon. It hit all of them hard— there was no magic bullet to suddenly make everything okay. They all understood this fact deep down, which was why they were here together now, trying to make the best of the dark clouds looming overhead.

Hikari thought, as she listened to Daisuke and Takeru banter about something while Ken tried to play mediator. Takeru was healing. He seemed genuinely happy right now, and Hikari suspected that had a lot to do with these visits to Daisuke she was only just learning about.

She didn’t take it personally. Takeru must have had a reason to want to spend time with only Daisuke. And Hikari had an educated guess as to why.

Even if he didn’t realize it, Takeru was drawn to the light— it was one of the reasons he stayed so close to Hikari after all these years. Hikari imagined that Takeru must have found a similar radiance inside Daisuke. A few years from now, when Takeru no longer has Patamon, she could only hope that he’ll finally be able to understand that he carries a brightness of his own, which draws people to him too.

Chapter Text

Shall we sing, shall we sing, ’til the morning

Daisuke couldn’t help noticing how often Takeru’s eyes landed on him over the course of the evening. He wasn’t going to pretend to know if that meant his friend might be into him, but regardless, Daisuke hadn’t realized how fun it could be to flirt with a friend who actually flirted back with just as much wit and charm. There existed this sort of give and take between them that Daisuke found, to be quite honest, irresistible.

After catching those blue eyes landing on him for a fifth time in as many minutes, Daisuke decided to test the waters a bit. He pulled out his phone and surreptitiously began texting under the cover of the ramen counter.

That earned Daisuke the eyeroll of the century.

He dipped his toes into the surf just a little bit more with that emoji. And to his surprise, a smile played on Takeru's lips when he read it.

Daisuke couldn’t hear it over the noise of the restaurant, but Takeru’s parted lips and the rise of his chest made it clear he had drawn in a long, sharp breath. His eyes widened as he responded.

Daisuke’s brain searched for something sexy to text back— something to maybe get the water to his ankles. He started to type out “I’ll say it out loud later, just for you”, but he never finished the sentence. Whatever this conversation was going to be, it ended abruptly when Hikari tapped Takeru on the shoulder and said:

Takeru’s calm, chill demeanor was back in seconds.

As his friends and their Digimon partners bid him farewell at the end of the night, Takeru and Patamon were curiously the very last to leave.

Daisuke put a finger to his lips and hummed thoughtfully.

Takeru’s eyes lingered for a few long, electrifying seconds, and then he jokingly tipped his beanie and left through the great wooden front door.

Daisuke groaned, but a gleeful grin spread across his face.

He would have been fine staying friends with Takeru Takaishi. Daisuke loved friends; he couldn’t get enough of them. But the sheer chemistry between himself and Takeru was impossible to ignore and too tantalizing to let slip away. Takeru had Daisuke’s chest aching for something different. Maybe he’d build up some courage to do something about it in the new year.

The new year was approaching, and Takeru needed to make a decision. In the grand scheme of things, it shouldn’t be a particularly significant decision— choosing between a night with Patamon, his brother, and his dad, or choosing to go to a big party near campus with a few dozen friends and acquaintances.

He would be dressed to impress regardless of where he ended up, that much was certain. Skinny jeans, a v-neck, a blazer, and the highlight of any good outfit— his fedora. Not the trilby this time. The trilby was in time out after constantly reminding him of Daisuke’s stupid “tribble” joke.

Before putting on that fedora, Takeru looked in the mirror and carded his fingers through his blond locks. Would there be anyone to impress tonight, if he went to the party? He’d picked up girls’ numbers at parties on quite a few occasions, though that wasn’t necessarily what he wanted right now.

Daisuke Motomiya had, seemingly out of nowhere, taken that spot in Takeru’s life. And although it meant he wasn’t romantically involved with anyone, Takeru found that he couldn’t complain. As he messed around with his hair a bit more in the mirror, he tossed around what it might feel like if he saw Daisuke tonight. Would Daisuke call him “hot” again? Would they casually flirt in front of Takeru’s classmates, just like they’d done in front of their friends on Christmas Eve? Would he leave the party with Daisuke and maybe continue the night elsewhere…

Wait. Takeru shook his head, his cheeks burning. His thoughts were running away from him again. They tended to keep doing that without his permission, especially when it came to Daisuke.

His phone buzzed on his dresser with last minute text chains asking for directions to the party, what people should bring, and so on. Patamon stirred from his place on Takeru’s bed and yawned loudly.

With a sinking feeling, Takeru remembered the reality of the situation. If he chose to go to the party, he’d be leaving Patamon behind.

Patamon took off from the bed and landed on the top of the chair next to Takeru’s dresser.

His gaze fell on the Digivice and its ominous ring of lights.

Patamon stared up at Takeru with his huge, aqua eyes.

Takeru’s brows furrowed and the corners of his mouth twitched downward. The way Patamon had phrased that was so so like him. Sweet and simple and naive, but also weirdly full of the kind of wisdom that only a Digimon could possess.

Patamon wasn’t only alluding to him “taking a chance” on going to the party. He meant that Takeru shouldn’t hold himself back from getting something he wanted, just because of the possibility that Patamon will disappear sooner.

He’d heard that word so many times over the past few months that he felt it should be featured prominently in his novel somehow. He blinked back tears as Patamon tapped Takeru gently on the arm.

Takeru smiled warmly down at his partner.

The party turned out to be pretty cool. Takeru started the evening prepared to force himself to have fun for Patamon’s sake, but he ended up legitimately having a good time. He’d solidified some friendships with a few classmates, and one of them even offered to refer Takeru to a few editors once the first draft of his novel was finished.

The most interesting event of the evening came when he spotted that guy he’d been trying to date back in September. Takeru thought seeing him would bring back some difficult, guilty memories, but he surprised himself by actually caring very little about how they left things. That brief relationship had spawned such a pivotal moment in his life, Takeru found himself feeling grateful for it.

They nodded at each other awkwardly from across the room and that was that.

Takeru enjoyed parties, and he liked being social. Though sometimes he felt like he could only do social gatherings in small bursts. By a quarter to 11 in the evening, he was starting to feel that familiar itch in the back of his mind— that something intangible that was telling him he needed that third place. Not at a party, not at home, not even at his dad’s house. Just, somewhere.

He passed Yamazaki and Mio outside near the front door. They were holding hands, and something about it sparked an odd feeling in Takeru’s chest. Almost like a reminder. But for what, he couldn’t say.

That was a lie. He was far from tired— he felt restless.

Takeru pretended not to know exactly who she was talking about. But she saw right through him.

He agreed, and wished his friends a happy new year before setting off down the sidewalk.

The sudden thought jolted Takeru to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. The idea of seeing Daisuke sent shockwaves of excitement through his veins.

Patamon’s words gripped him like a reinforcement. Takeru pulled out his phone and began texting his “cute friend”.

Takeru walked slowly the rest of the way to Ramen Yamatoya, knowing that Daisuke still needed time to get there. In spite of his leisurely pace, his heart was pounding.

He couldn’t deny this magnetism anymore. He couldn’t deny that the someplace he was looking for was Ramen Yamatoya. Feelings had been sneaking up on Takeru, whispering to him every time he was with Daisuke, encouraging him to take the chance that Patamon was alluding to. Takeru suddenly felt like falling in love tonight, with someone he used to never think of looking for. But now all he could do was look for him. To seek him out and pull him close and feel the rush of midnight as the new year began.

Takeru saw the lights on in the restaurant through a small gap in the curtains. The door was probably unlocked, but he knocked anyway. A grin spread onto his face when his knocks were repeated back to him from the other side. He stood back a little as the door opened, not wanting to make that mistake again and fall all over Daisuke.

That thought was a little tempting, though.

After that first night alone together, Daisuke never asked why Takeru wanted to see him. He just accepted it.

He followed his friend over to the ramen bar. Daisuke turned to face Takeru, grasped the edge of the bar with both hands, and hoisted himself up until he was sitting on the lower level of the counter. And then he just smiled and oh Takeru was gone for him. Every breath he took filled his chest with excitement.

Takeru took a seat on one of the stools and leaned back. His elbow touched Daisuke’s leg, just slightly.

Daisuke shrugged.

Takeru reached up to remove his hat, but Daisuke grabbed his arm and pushed it back down.

He laughed, which made Daisuke smile again.

He used air quotes as he spoke. Daisuke looked up at the ceiling and put a finger to his lips. It was quite distracting.

They sat in silence for a little while. As the minutes ticked by, inching closer to midnight, they could hear muffled talking and laughter outside as people traveled down the streets looking for a good place to see fireworks. After a while, Daisuke pulled out his phone. He recited a funny text chain with Wormmon, who had been using Ken’s phone supposedly without his partner’s knowledge. The confusion it led to was hilarious, but the best part of the experience was when, every time Daisuke found something particularly funny, he would tap Takeru’s arm with the back of his hand.

Daisuke paused.

He glanced at Daisuke curiously. His friend’s cheeks turned pink.

Takeru’s eyebrows shot up.

Takeru’s heart sank into his stomach as he remembered what he himself told Daisuke not so long ago:

Daisuke hummed in thought, swinging his legs back and forth.

Takeru eyed his friend suspiciously, still trying to suppress the negative feelings about Daisuke possibly seeing someone.

Takeru reached over and shook Daisuke’s knee playfully.

A split second later, he felt Daisuke’s hand grab onto his, keeping it pressed down on his friend’s knee. Takeru’s heart jumped. He searched Daisuke’s face, but he was looking everywhere except at Takeru.

Warm brown eyes finally met blue, and a small, shy grin played on Daisuke’s lips. Something bloomed in Takeru’s chest.

Takeru pulled his hand back and stood up.

Daisuke looked startled for a moment, with the beginning stages of panic flashing across his eyes. Oh that just wouldn’t do. Takeru needed that smile back immediately.

Takeru slowly approached Daisuke, who was still sitting on the counter, until his hips tapped the other man’s knees. They both drew in sharp breaths, and Takeru could feel that bubble of excitement dancing in his chest.

His friend let out a long, shaky sigh of relief.

The grin returned to its full, glorious wattage.

Suddenly, Takeru’s head felt just a little bit lighter. After a second of confusion, he realized that Daisuke had removed his fedora. Takeru expected his hat to end up on Daisuke’s head again, and he would have to flirt his way through another round of teasing. But surprisingly, the hat ended up placed gently down on the counter next to Daisuke’s tinted shades, which Takeru only now realized had been removed from his friend’s head.

Takeru was given barely a moment to parse what was going on before Daisuke’s lips pressed against his. The kiss was quick and fleeting, and when Daisuke pulled away, Takeru felt himself leaning forward wishing for it to come back.

Daisuke watched Takeru carefully. That hint of nervousness returned to his friend’s eyes.

He reached out and set his hand on the back of Daisuke’s head. His hair felt softer than Takeru had imagined— he’d always assumed it would be full of gel and hairspray. Takeru stroked Daisuke’s hair tentatively, affectionately. But he didn’t have time to ponder the great workings of the other man’s cinnamon locks for much longer, because Daisuke’s eyelids fell closed as he leaned into Takeru’s touch.

Takeru initiated a more meaningful kiss this time. A substantial kiss. The kind of kiss that satisfied the feeling of excitement that was burning in his chest since he left the party. The kind of kiss where they could both feel the warmth radiating from one another.

Daisuke’s tongue gently touched Takeru’s lips, and Takeru heard himself make a little noise in the back of his throat. He opened his mouth to let Daisuke in, but instead of deepening the kiss, Daisuke started… shaking? Their lips parted with a tiny little crack, Takeru panicking for a split second. But then, torturously, he noticed Daisuke was laughing.

That smile was infectious, it always was. Takeru’s heart skipped a beat just thinking about it, and here it was in plain sight all for him. He wanted to kiss that smile until it enveloped him, but Daisuke covered it with his hand and continued chuckling.

Takeru felt heat rise up from under his collar.

Daisuke pushed himself off the bar and slipped his fingers into Takeru’s blond locks. They met in the middle for another kiss. Or, a set of kisses. Their lips came together and broke apart half a dozen more times before they arrived at just the perfect angle for a long, lingering kiss. When it was Daisuke’s turn to make a noise of pleasure, Takeru shuddered, gripping onto the other man’s arms and diving in like Daisuke was the breath of life.

Because in a way, he was. Takeru was drawn to him over and over for months, not fully realizing how much he needed this kiss until it was happening. He’d never ever kissed someone like this before. Or more accurately, he realized, Takeru had never kissed someone he actually harbored real, developing feelings for.

Takeru could sense excitement building between them. His hands slowly slid down Daisuke’s arms until they reached the other man’s hips. It had the desired effect of forcing him to be still and they attempted to cool things down.

Cheering outside in the streets and some distant booms and cracks told them that the clock struck midnight. Daisuke pulled away from Takeru and looked back at his friend with amazement in his eyes.

He said, breathlessly. Takeru groaned and swatted at him playfully, though he silently agreed.

Eventually the two men sat down in one of the booths on the opposite side of the room, their legs tangled together under the table. Daisuke reached out, grabbed Takeru’s hands, and played with his fingers as they spent the first official hour of the year chatting and laughing and flirting.

The future wasn’t certain— with the Chosen Children, with the Digital World and the Digimon, with his novel, and even with this budding thing with Daisuke. But as they sat across from each other in that booth, inside that ramen restaurant, inside that place Takeru had been searching for, he couldn’t help remembering that one word Daisuke kept saying over and over.

Possibilities were negative and positive. They were scary and brilliant and infinite. And right now, they were Daisuke.

C’mon, c'mon, with everything falling down around me, I’d like to believe in all the possibilities