Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Digimon, Digital Monster, Digimon are the champions! Chaaaaange into Digital Monsters toooooo save the Digital (WORLD).

Author's Note: I've been promoted to college, folks. It's a strange transition that I'm slowly getting used to, so it should be okay. I really don't have that much work all things considered, it's just... a lot of thinking and studying and whatnot. In other words, it's kind of hard to focus on other things at times. I'm getting by, though, and obviously, this brings about time to write! I didn't write all summer, but I come to college and I start writing immediately. I guess this is a good thing for ya'll!

Hopefully Izzy came about okay.

Enjoy!

Day 2 – Part 7

Sometimes Izzy wondered why he was so nice to Tai. It wasn't because Tai didn't deserve it – because after all that they had gone through together, they all deserved a little kindness. – No, it was not because of that. It was because more often times than not, Izzy ended up regretting it or doing the exact same thing over and over again. Or both, at the same time, which – more often times than not – generally ended up being the case.

Because Tai didn't know how to take care of a computer. At all. He usually ended up breaking his at least once a week if not more, and it was always Izzy that he would call for help. And as exasperated as Izzy got with the bushy-haired leader, it was Tai and it wasn't like he could say no.

Izzy understood that Tai didn't get computers, just the way that Izzy didn't get soccer. It was just who they were and that would never change, and the computer genius couldn't fault him for that. In fact, Izzy knew that Tai wouldn't even own a computer if one wasn't essential to get through his college classes.

It was through analyzing all of this logic that Izzy finally found himself standing outside the Kamiya apartment with his own computer and a few handy tools in hand. He had already told Tai two days ago that he would be by today to see what he had done this time, but it was always a relief to know that he had at least tried to talk himself out of it. Especially since Tai had an innate talent to somehow do some very strange things to his laptop. Such as cause the color green to suddenly become obsolete on his screen.

It was a good thing that Izzy was a computer expert as even some of the warranty holders had been baffled by that one.

Izzy knocked on the door patiently, but when Tai didn't answer immediately, he couldn't help but sigh in irritation. He was probably still asleep, doing nothing productive, and just lazing around if he did bother to wake up. Izzy knocked again, this time a little louder and a little more impatient. When he didn't answer this time, Izzy pulled out his cell and speed dialed the former leader's number.

Tai always jumped out of bed for his cell just in case it might be his mom. First time Tai didn't answer when she called, she had been so freaked out, worried that something had happened to him, that he had been guilt tripped into eating her cooking concoctions for a whole week. His stomach had never been the same again.

It only took two rings to get the male Kamiya to pick up.

"Moshi, moshi!"

He didn't sound sleepy at all. Izzy frowned, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Tai?"

"Oh, hey, Izzy. What's up?"

"'What's up?'" the genius repeated. He sighed, knowing he should have expected this. "I was supposed to work on your computer today, remember? I'm standing outside. Open up and let me in."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"…Tai?" Izzy asked, curious and almost worried.

"You're, uh, standing outside my apartment?"

"Yes, Tai," he answered slowly.

"As in where my mom and dad and little sister live?"

Izzy took a moment to give his phone a strange look before answering, "Uh, yes, Tai. I'm standing outside the apartment you currently reside in."

"…Oh."

The silence carried on after that simple statement, and it didn't take Izzy long to piece everything together. His eyebrow started twitching slightly in annoyance.

"Tai?"

"Yes?"

"Tai."

"Yes."

"Where are you?"

"TK's."

Izzy paused in his annoyed mantra of thoughts, slightly thrown. He had half expected the bushy-haired leader to say Matt's or even Sora's or maybe even the soccer field, but he couldn't fathom why Tai would be at TK's place when TK was at school.

"TK's?"

"Yes." He paused. "He stayed home from school today because he's sick and Matt called and asked me to swing by to keep him company and to take him to the clinic later, but he didn't want to go so he got me to call Joe instead, and so now Joe is coming over to make sure that TK is okay, though I think he's okay, and I totally forgot that I asked you swing by today, Izzy, and I'm really sorry, but I really need my computer fixed, so maybe you could instead head over here and fix my computer here because I really don't want to leave TK alone especially since I know Matt will kill me if I do—"

"Tai," Izzy interrupted.

"I know, Izzy, I know, and it won't happen again and I'll even pay for your gas! If I don't get my computer working, I'll never get my paper for PoliSci done, and then I will definitely fail the class and then I'll have to take it again next year and then-- Please come by?"

Izzy wanted to point out that he had come by, but the soccer-obsessed former leader just hadn't been where he was supposed to be. But then he thought of TK and of Matt and how overprotective he was of the younger blond and how overprotective they all were of the groups designated little brother and he couldn't help but sigh in defeat. He probably would have forgotten all about a date with his computer as well if Matt had called him. No matter what the others had thought of him (or still thought of him on some level), he didn't put his computer's life above that of his friends. If there was anything that his Crest of Knowledge had taught him, it was that.

"Okay, okay," he conceded against his better judgment. "I'll swing by TK's."

"Izzy, I'm really sorry I forgot."

Tai's voice came out small across the phone, much smaller than Izzy was used to, and he couldn't help but smile at the sincerity and out of character sound that reached his ears. "It's okay, Tai. I'll be over in five to ten minutes."

"Thanks, Izzy! I won't forget again. I promise!"

Izzy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He said, "I know, Tai," before cutting off the phone, even as he knew Tai would most definitely forget again. He just wouldn't be the Tai he knew if he didn't.