Title: The blanket over our heads
Author: Nekocin (tyreling)
Fandom: Digimon adventures, Digimon Adventures 02
Pairing: ... none
Prompt: #8 Falling Star
Word Count: 778
Genre: General, tiny bit drama perhaps
Rating: G
Summary: Takeru's night with the new Chosen children ends with a memory of his childhood days.
Warnings: OoC, otherwise none.
Disclaimer: Digimon doesn't belong to me.
The campfire continued to crackle as he threw a few more twigs into the dancing flame. Once he felt satisfied with the fire's flickering tongues reaching out, he sat back on the ground and went on his back. Despite the fact that he wore a thick jacket, the unruly earth hurt his backside. Cold air nipped on his exposed skin; too freezing to sleep.
As if in an after thought, he glanced to his slumbering comrades. Miyako and Hikari were sleeping next to each other on his left in their sleeping bags; the first looking peaceful while the latter, troubled. Hawkmon was nowhere to be seen. As for Tailmon... she was all curled up next to Hikari, oblivious to her partner's anguished face. Purring perhaps. Iori slept a meter away from the girls, hugging Armadimon like his partner was his pet toy back home. Veemon and self-proclaimed leader Daisuke were--he glanced to the other side of the camp fire. Veemon was hogging the blankets while Daisuke did his best to stay awake--head dozing for a moment, eyelids fluttering now and then. He gave Daisuke two minutes tops before the guy would fall headfirst in his pillows and sleep the night away like a rock. Though, he could hardly blame him. They just had a long day behind.
He absently stared up at the dark sky where countless stars winked at him, beckoning him to sleep and--perhaps embrace him with the darkness, who knows. Patamon made a yipped sound as he tossed in his own little duffel bag Takeru had specially brought along. A nightmare.
Takeru pushed himself up to sit, arms stretched out to support his upper body and he leaned over to Patamon's bed to smooth down the wrinkled forehead of his partner. The digimon shivered and then opened his large glazed eyes.
"Takeru...," Patamon said softly.
He readied his kind smile and pulled blankets up to the digimon's chin.
"Now we don't have Gabumon's fur to protect us from the cold," Takeru said in a whisper.
Patamon threw off his blankets and flapped his wings to fly over to Takeru's head.
"What are you doing, Patamon?"
"I can't sleep,"
"Patamon, you've used a lot of your energy today, you have to sleep,"
His partner gave him a sound of refusal and tightened his hold on Takeru's hair. He let out an exasperate sigh and twisted his position back to staring at the fire.
In the distant past it hadn't always been the two of them sleeping snuggled next to each other.
"Look, Takeru! A falling star!" Patamon tugged on the strands of his hair.
Automatically, he looked up to the sky, almost missing the play of a star skidding across the black sky. It supposedly waved to them in good bye or good night.
"It's a shooting star," he corrected.
In the distant past Brother and Gabumon were there.
He closed his eyes and hummed a familiar tune under his breath, imagining a peaceful night very much like this one in his memories.
Brother would slip out his harmonica from his pocket, place it to his lips and weave out a calm song dad had taught him back when dad and mom were on good terms. Patamon would snuggle into his short, chubby arms as the music doused him under its spell.
"I love you, big brother," Takeru had sighed and looked up to his older brother with adoring eyes.
Brother's eyes appeared to be brighter than before and he closed them, putting effort into playing the instrument more loudly that its unique sound resonated around the area and lulled their other friends into a peaceful slumber. Gabumon made a rumbling sound behind his throat--purring. He rubbed his furry head against Takeru's like a satisfied kitten in the middle of its sunbathing routine and hugged him closer.
The sky had never looked so beautiful that time--as dawn slowly broke out, chasing off darkness with rays of bright colors and announcing a new morning for everyone. A distinct white stripe skated against the sky wall and disappeared behind the upcoming sun. Takeru allowed himself to grin, eyelids lowered with care and he leaned closer into Brother's warmth. He wished and wished on that falling star.
Patamon slid off his head, apparently tired and ready to sleep, and curled up in his lap with his wings tucked down and his paws under his chin.
"Good night, Takeru," he murmured sleepily.
"Good night, Patamon," Takeru returned. He then spent the rest of his watch on staring at the sky. Reminisces of the past danced around in his mind and falling stars became shooting stars.
TheNekoTalks:
I miss the Digimon series. I got back into the fandom after completing the Frontier series and... I'm trying to make up for my absent years.
Thank you for reading!
.:Nekocin:.