Chapter Text
Consistency, one of many things that helped to keep Simon from losing their mind. However when things went too consistently, being the same basically everyday, it irritated them as well. They had to find some kind of balance between consistency and new territory. Especially given that they were juggling a lot…
They had… A lot on their mind. Adjusting to the heat of the area they were living in now after half a decade away, trying to form new connections, dealing with their senior year of high school, starting over completely. It was all quite a lot to deal with. But they were determined to make it work, no matter what life threw at them. And hopefully it wouldn’t be any worse than what they had dealt with in the past few years.
It hadn’t been too rough lately, they were getting settled in, making new friends, if reluctantly. They were keeping their grades up too which was really nice. However, one thing was still bothering them greatly.
They missed their cats a lot, he had to leave them all behind when he moved down here because they had no way to bring them down. Their aunt already had 5 cats and they didn't want to impose on her any more than they already had… Hopefully the people their nana gave the cats to would take good care of them.
Then again, they had already lost a lot of faith in their Nana’s ability to make good choices… All they could do was hope for the best.
Shaking their head, Simon took their focus off all that, focusing on what was going on around them. They glanced out the bus window, noting how they were almost to their stop, so they adjusted their backpack, preparing to get to their feet and make their way out.
They already tuned out the conversations of the others on the bus, it was mostly just nonsense anyways. Though that was only because their headphones had died, they forgot to charge them the past few nights and they ended up dying part way through the day.
“Finally home,” Their voice came out a quiet grumble, pushing to their feet and getting off the bus with a soft huff.
Immediately off the bus, Simon could feel the heat beating down on them… Not even midway through March and it was getting really hot again. They missed when it stayed cool for almost 5 months, the north was amazing, especially with his darker wardrobe. Black and hot weather did not go well together.
Trudging down the side walk, they tried to ignore the heat soaking into their skin. A shower was definitely in order when they got inside. They were curious what their aunt was making–
“Why is this thing so damn sturdy?” A voice hissed off to their left. It sounded kind of high pitched and a little whiny.
It really isn’t any of my business… But, their thoughts trailed off as they crossed the street, making their way toward where the voice was hissing and grumbling. Shifting the backpack on their shoulders, the heavy bag was difficult to be quiet while moving with.
Peering out into the tall grass, they saw what looked like a cat trap hidden in a thick patch of grass. Inside there was definitely something squirming around, kicking and pushing against the cage in a desperate attempt to get out. At first they thought it was maybe a cat and the voice they heard came from elsewhere, but when they got closer and saw a purple blur thrashing around inside they knew immediately that there was definitely not a cat inside.
Squinting slightly, Simon could definitely tell that the creature inside, while kind of cat-like, looked more akin to a cartoonish imp. Purple fur, large, curved horns, a fluffy tail, and a white face. It seemed like the critter was so caught up in trying to escape the trap that he hadn’t noticed their approach yet.
Though, as they got even closer, the imp stopped thrashing, his eyes locked onto them, his entire body going stiff. Eyes wide as he stared up at them.
Neither moved for a long moment, staring at the other in silence, attempting to comprehend the tension between them. Simon opened their mouth to say something only for the imp to speak first, cutting them off.
“What? What are you looking at?” He hissed, fur already beginning to bristle.
“You can… Uh- nevermind… I just- I noticed that you’re stuck in this cage and I figured maybe you could use some help?” Simon offered, if hesitantly, startled that the creature could even speak in the first place. It was odd, but he supposed odder things could be occurring.
The imp didn’t respond at first, pressing back into the cage, putting distance between himself and them.
That made their heart ache a bit, but they didn’t mention anything about it. Instead, they crouched down in front of the cage, waiting patiently for a response. They would free him either way, but they wanted him to feel comfortable.
“Y- yeah if you could just… Get the door open that’d be grand,” He seemed to try and keep this snarky inflection in his tone, but it was clear that he was somewhat relieved.
Shuffling closer, Simon began to inspect the trap, fingers brushing over the metal in a curious and searching manner. It didn’t take long to find the opening latch and with a firm tug, they pulled it open.
They moved out of the way, still holding the trap open as the imp crawled out. His tail flicked behind him as he glared at the trap as though it personally offended him. And with how he had been stuck in it, that likely wasn’t far off. Getting to his feet, he quickly dusted himself off, looking at them with uncertainty.
“Uh… T- thanks I guess,” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. He began to gradually back away before darting off into the tall grass.
Simon didn’t move for a long moment, just staring in the direction the imp had run off to. Then without another word, they pushed to their feet and went back over to the sidewalk. Thoughts began to wander as they considered what just happened. They found a small, imp-like creature stuck in a cat trap that looked suspiciously like a…
“Wait a minute,” Simon stopped dead in their tracks, thoughts racing as they glanced back in the direction of the cage. “Was that…?”
“Holy shit. That was a digimon. There was a digimon in that cage. Holy shit!” Their eyes widened as the realization hit. Their hands coming up to tangle in their hair, jaw dropping.
Swallowing thickly, they eventually managed to gather their thoughts, continuing back home as that strange occurrence continued to rattle around their mind. They were so befuddled about how a digimon even ended up here! The air here felt stable so a digital emergence shouldn’t be possible. Yet it seemed it happened anyway, even if they didn’t understand quite how. Then again, the unexpected always seemed to occur.
“I’m home!” They called out, pushing the door open to their home. Immediately they were hit with the smell of something being cooked. Must be why their aunt hadn’t come and picked them up from school. They didn’t mind, they enjoyed riding the bus occasionally.
“Welcome home,” Their aunt called from the kitchen, looking over her shoulder at them.
They shrugged off their bookbag, grabbing the salad container from out of their lunch back, along with the fork and their container of ranch. Setting it into the sink they turned back and headed upstairs to put their backpack in their room. Petting one of the cats as they passed by.
They shuffled by quickly where their uncle was watching TV, not wanting to stay near for long. They really didn’t like him. Preferred avoiding any possible interaction with him.
Once the bag was down, they closed the door to their room, working on getting comfortable. Purse, school ID, the clothes they wore today. All of it came off in favor of a simple t-shirt and shorts. It was honestly a relief to get all the heavy stuff off after a long day. Especially with it getting hotter lately.
It didn’t take long for their aunt to call out that food was done. And they made their way down, salivating already at the thought of whatever tasty food she had made for dinner. Probably some chicken and broccoli, yum.
“So, how was school?” His aunt asked, glancing at him from her plate.
“It was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary,” They answered with a shrug, biting into another piece of chicken.
“Do you have a test tomorrow?”
They paused for a moment chewing the chicken in their mouth thoughtfully, swallowing before they answered, “Nope, no tests. Probably gonna have one next week though I think.”
“Ah- got it. Well, make sure you study if any come up,” She nodded, turning her focus back to the food on the plate in front of her.
They didn't mention anything about the strange occurrence from earlier, not sure how to explain the fact that they had encountered an actual Digimon to their family. They weren't even sure if they wanted to tell anyone right now. If it did get out that there was a Digimon around here, who knew what could happen. Especially since the little guy has gotten caught in a cat trap and had been unable to get out on his own. That was particularly worrying to them.
Finishing dinner, they got to their feet and brought their plate over to the sink, rinsing it off before setting it on the counter. They said thanks for their dinner and headed back up to their room, intent on relaxing for the rest of the night before they had to get stuff around for school tomorrow. Probably just watch some dumb videos for the next two hours, maybe play a little Minecraft.
Later into the night, Simon came downstairs to get lunch for tomorrow. Chopping up some lettuce for the salad they’d put together in the morning along with grabbing some other snacks. Headphones hanging around their neck, humming along to the song currently stuck in their head.
Though, as they turned to the fridge to put the lettuce away, something caught their eye. And looking towards the back window they see a pair of red and blue eyes staring into the house at them. They didn’t move for a long moment, just staring at the eyes that were looking into the house at them. It definitely wasn’t a coyote or some kind of racoon… So it could only be one thing.
Making their way to the backdoor, they kept their steps slow and measured, not wanting to startle the digimon into running off. He ended up bolting anyway, scrambling to the fence and darting off into the night.
“Damn it,” Simon murmured, staring out the window, a frown tugging at their lips. They had wanted another chance to talk to the little guy, maybe try and give him some help or something akin to that. Yet it seemed that he still wasn’t that trusting of them, which they didn’t blame him for.
Still, it hurt seeing him run away, making something in their chest ache in a way they didn’t fully understand in the moment. So instead of continuing to ponder that feeling, they turned away from the window and finished up in the kitchen. Wanting to have everything ready before they went to bed.
Hopefully they’d get another chance to talk to him later on. They could go out looking for him after school tomorrow. They wanted to make sure he was alright at the very least.
The morning routine was the same as it usually was. Cereal, medication, watching youtube while they ate. However, as they came back down to clean their bowl and put together their salad, they deviated from their routine just a little. Starting down at the chicken they were putting in their salad, they took a few pieces and put it onto a paper towel, carrying it outside. They set it down on one of the chairs, lingering at the door before they returned inside.
Hopefully the Impmon would find it before anything else. Though, Simon wouldn’t be too agitated if Bob came along and ate the pieces of chicken. That cat was always coming around to get something to eat.
Once back up in their room, they kept glancing out the window next to their desk, looking out into the yard in hopes of catching the Impmon climbing into the yard again to eat the chicken. They already got dressed in their school clothes and now they were just waiting till the time they usually went to the bus stop.
“Hope the little guy is okay,” They murmured, running a hand through their hair. Leaning back in their chair, they sat there in silent contemplation for a long moment, trying to figure out what to do. It was boring trying to wait for something to happen, but at the same time they couldn't get distracted. So, they just settled in to watch, glancing at their phone occasionally to check the time.
As the minutes ticked by, Simon’s attention began to drift from the window. It was incredibly boring just staring out the window waiting for a creature that probably wasn’t gonna come within the short timeframe they were going to wait. They turned to the laptop that sat open on their desk, staring at it in silence for a long moment, thoughts drifting through their head as they considered what exactly to do in the moment.
Though, when they glanced back outside, they saw a ball of purple fur scuttling over the fence. Clumsy and slow in his movements, but it was for sure the impmon from yesterday. He moved cautiously towards the chicken they had put out, sniffing it for a long pause before he scoped it up and started to eat it. He looked around as he did, staring intently towards the house as if he expected someone to come out.
Simon wasn’t gonna go out yet, they weren’t gonna go out into the backyard at all, they just wanted to see if he would come and eat and now that he had, they were satisfied. They wouldn’t try to approach him yet, they just wanted to make sure he was fed and would feel safe coming into the yard to look for food.
Glancing at the time again, they hummed in acknowledgement, getting up from their chair so that they could head out to the bus stop. Shrugging on their backpack, grunting at the weight. A brief grimace crossed their expression before they made their way out.
“What should I do with the little guy?” They murmured, different thoughts and ideas running through their head. It was difficult to figure out a solid idea that didn’t immediately have holes in it.
Like, how could they sneak him inside without their aunt or uncle noticing him. Their uncle especially since he was retired and was home all day for the most part. He’d likely find the imp within a few days and with the way he reacted to the coyotes out back, Simon didn’t like the thought of how he’d react to the impmon.
Halfway down to the bus stop, they felt a tug on their pant leg, catching them off guard. Glancing down, they saw the impmon in question looking up at them with almost cautious eyes. He didn’t seem certain about this at all, his tail flicking back and forth, some of his fur puffed out defensively.
Simon knelt down, getting on his level, head cocking to the side as they tried to figure out what he might have come over to talk to them about. Maybe he wanted to say “thank you” for the chicken? That seemed the most plausible.
“Hey bud… Did you need something?” They asked, reaching down to grab his gloved paw. The impmon flinched for a moment, staring with wide eyes.
“I… I figured you were cool since you didn’t freak out too much when you first met me. So…” He trailed off, averting his gaze for a long moment before he looked back. Shuffling forward before basically burrowing against their front.
They stiffened initially, looking down at this Impmon that was clinging to them. He was cold, shivering intensely. He clearly wasn’t doing great out on his own and it made sense. The coyotes wandered the streets, there wasn’t anywhere for him to take shelter from the cold. He was probably desperate enough for shelter that he was willing to take his chances with them.
“C’mere,” Their voice came out a coaxing murmur as they wrapped their arms around him, pulling him close to their chest as they stood. Immediately he seemed to nestle closer, tucking his face into their neck. Their mind already beginning to race as they tried to figure out the logistics of how they’d deal with this.
They couldn’t bring him to school, they didn’t want to leave him home alone. If their uncle didn’t find him the cats would and who knows how that would go. And they also didn’t want to just leave him out here on the streets. What do they do? They didn’t even want to walk to the bus stop with him in their arms just in case someone said something.
“I’m not quite sure what to do with you, bud… I can’t take you to school and I don’t want to leave you alone at my house… If you have any ideas of what to do, I’d be glad to hear them,” Simon hummed, zipping up their coat around him to help him stay warm. Looking toward their bus stop, their brows furrowed as they considered their options.
For now, their focus was on helping the impmon stay warm. His little body was freezing cold, and he was shivering really heavily. And he was a lot lighter than his size would have suggested, that alone made their heart clench painfully in their chest.
“Rust,” he grumbled.
“What was that?” They glanced back down at him.
“My name’s Rust. Not ‘bud’ or whatever you’ve been calling me.” His breath came out an irritated puff against their neck as he responded.
“Alright, I’ll call you Rust. But we still need to figure out the main issue we have. What do we do with you? I can’t take you to school with me and I don’t want to leave you at my house alone,” Simon pointed out, adjusting him in their arms so that he was held more firmly against their chest.
“Mmm… Pull out your phone,” Rust huffed, pulling his face away from their neck reluctantly.
“Okay…?” They were a bit confused, but adjusting him in their hold, they pulled their phone from their pocket and held it up. Not quite sure what he wanted to do with it.
Rust looked at their phone, not doing anything for a brief period. Then, without saying anything, he reached out and touched it. His body shimmered before his data scattered apart, slipping into their phone screen in an instant.
Staring with wide eyes, Simon wasn’t sure what they just saw. But it solved their problem so they quickly made their way over to the bus stop finally. The bus is still nowhere in sight, so no need to worry about it.
Their gaze remained glued to their phone screen though, wondering what exactly Rust was doing in there. They couldn’t see him on their screen, even as they glanced through different panels.
Though, a small message appeared at the top of the screen, “Check your notes app.”
Without anything else to do, they opened their notes app and there in one of the note pads was Rust. Lounging there like a contented cat, tail flicking back and forth. They opened it, staring at the screen with a mix of curiosity and surprise. This wasn’t really what they expected to happen, but it was pretty cool. Though, if he was in their phone…
Opening up the keyboard, they typed something in the notepad, “I’m guessing this is how we’ll communicate when you’re in my phone?”
“Pretty much. As long as you have your notes app open I can just speak to you.” He replied, his voice echoing in their headphones.
“Could I just speak into my phone to talk to you without typing?” They replaced the former message.
“Probably. But I wouldn’t suggest that since you’re going to school,” Rust chuckled, one eye cracking open to look over at them. A mischievous grin tugging at his lips.
Simon nodded, typing one last message before they tucked away their phone, “I’ll talk to you later, Rust.”