Drive Me Crazy Chapter 25: One Step at a Time
Author's Note: I'm sorry this last chapter took so long to post… I've been having a very rough time with life lately. First I was extremely sick and depressed because my thyroid started failing on me, and then right when that finally got better, my nine-year-long relationship ended and I was depressed all over again. It gave me a very sour outlook on life and relationships, and I just couldn't write this chapter like that. Everything came out negative and hopeless because that's how I was feeling at the time, and the story was suffering for it. So I decided to just wait until I was feeling better. It took a long time unfortunately, but I think I've finally got my life going in the right direction again.
Chapter Note: In Japanese, the words "cute" and "scary" sound very similar. Also, I hope that my attempts to describe a Northern American accent weren't too horrifically incorrect, given that I myself am Northern American and I don't really know what I sound like from someone else's perspective.
Ken glanced up at the clock on the wall. Finding only thirty seconds to have passed since the last time he checked, he went back to fiddling nervously with the hem of his maroon, button-up shirt. Hikari had picked it out along with a pair of gray slacks, Ken having been far too nervous that morning to make any decisions on his attire. About all he'd managed to do beforehand was shower.
Miyako and Hikari arrived at his apartment that morning to find him wrapped up in nothing more than a bath robe, having lost track of the time amongst a sea of anxiety. The two girls had dug around in his closet until they agreed on an outfit, all the while Ken wanting to crawl under his bed and never come out again. Not literally of course, but such dramatic thoughts had crossed his mind a number of times - especially on the train into Tokyo.
He looked at the clock again almost immediately, unable to stop himself. Jun would be arriving from the airport with Daisuke in just a few more minutes. Mr. and Mrs. Motomiya had reserved one of the private rooms at their son's favorite sushi bar, which had access to the conveyor belt for parties. There was a long table in the center, as well as four bar stools in front of the belt where the sushi passed by. Everyone was waiting for Daisuke to arrive before grabbing any food though.
Getting their own space had definitely been for the best, what with how loud their group was turning out to be. Taichi and Yamato were the main source of the noise, the two of them bickering loudly over whether or not Yamato's hair could be classified as 'feminine' or not. Sora and Koushiro were trying to quiet them down, but so far they hadn't had much luck. Every now and then Hikari would sigh and shake her head at her brother from the seat beside him at the large table.
Ken jumped a bit when a hand was placed on his knee.
"You okay?" Hikari asked quietly, Ken only just managing to catch her voice over the social buzz of the others.
"Awe, look at him!" Miyako exclaimed and hugged him tightly with a little squeak of glee from his other side, his cheeks immediately turning red with embarrassment. "He's so nervous!"
"Miyako," Hikari giggled a bit. "I think you're making him uncomfortable."
"Okay, okay..." Miyako sighed and pulled back. "What are you so nervous about, anyway?"
Countless fears surrounded him as he stared at the two empty chairs located directly across from him. Jun and Daisuke would surely be settling down in those seats in just a few more moments. A chaotic blur of self-induced fears filled Ken's mind instead of the coherent thoughts he'd been hoping for. He wasn't ready… He really wasn't ready!
"Everything..." Ken finally answered as he put his hands over his face. It was true enough. He was afraid of just about every possible bad outcome from this reunion with Daisuke that he could imagine - and he could imagine quite a bit. What if Daisuke had changed, and not in a good way? Or what if it was Ken who had changed too much? What if they couldn't connect the way they used to? What if they barely spoke to each other the entire time?! What if-?!
"You know he's missed you just as much as you've missed him, right?" Hikari asked with a reassuring smile.
"Yeah!" Miyako nudged him enthusiastically. "Even all the way in America, he still managed to email you every week at least!" She crossed her arms angrily after that and huffed, "Unlike a certain jerk-ex-boyfriend of mine, who apparently couldn't call me even once! Oh I could just...!" Miyako trailed off as she started boxing the air in front of her.
Ken chuckled along with Hikari, her phone beeping a few moments later. She pulled it out of her purse and smiled softly down at the message she'd received. Ken didn't have to ask to know that it was from Takeru. Apparently it was so slow at his job that everyone was on their phones, Hikari having been messaging with him for a while now. The official story was that they were discussing plans for another get together with Daisuke, but in all honesty that had already been figured out. Jyou had school that day, Iori had an important kendo match, and Takeru was working, so the three of them were going to meet up with Hikari and Daisuke the following day.
In actuality, Hikari and Takeru were talking about going out on their first official date as a couple, which was being kept a secret for now. She didn't want to deal with Taichi and Yamato's reactions on a day that was supposed to be about Daisuke.
Hikari and Ken had spent a good amount of time talking about the fact that being with Takeru went hand-in-hand with a potentially marriage-less, and child-less future. Ken wasn't surprised to find out that Takeru had reservations about having a family of his own after the bitter divorce his parents had gone through. Hikari's primary concern was that she did want children one day. She claimed that she was willing to forego marriage if she could at least have a kid, so the remaining question was whether or not Takeru could accept that compromise.
Ken was surprised that they were even talking about such serious things before they'd even started going out, but then again, they'd pretty much been together for the last couple of years anyway. Making it publicly known didn't change much.
When the door to their room started opening, a hush fell over everyone inside. Ken's train of thought was lost as his eyes became glued to the door.
"... and you can't even deny it!" Jun laughed as she stepped inside, pulling two large rolling suitcases along behind her.
"Oh, you are not giving me enough credit!" Daisuke's irritated voice floated into the room as he trailed along after her with two more large bags in his hands. He pronounced his words much more flatly than normal, which Ken noticed right away.
"It's too late!" Jun shut the door and smirked at her brother. "You can't take it back! You said cute instead of scary in the car!"
Daisuke fumed where he stood, his fists clenching at his sides as his bags thudded to the floor by his feet. "Shut up, Jun! They sound nearly the same! It just… didn't come out right!"
"Awe, Daisuke!" Mrs. Motomiya laughed as she and her husband got up out of their chairs and walked over to them. "There's a bit of an accent in your voice!"
"N-No there's not!" Daisuke crossed his arms defiantly, but before he could do anything else, he was surrounded. He yelped as both Taichi and Yamato grabbed him around the shoulders and proceeded to give him a rough noogie, both of them snickering mischievously together and seeming to forget all about their previous debate. Koushiro laughed at the display while Sora groaned and smacked at Taichi's shoulder.
Still at the table beside the two empty seats, Mrs. Ichijouji smiled and chuckled. Hikari sighed at her brother and put a hand over her face while Miyako laughed. Ken, however, remained completely motionless. His eyes failed to stray from his best friend. Daisuke looked… different, and the realization made his stomach drop.
Aside from the way he was speaking, the most immediately noticeable difference was the paleness in Daisuke's skin. He'd always had a sunny glow about him, and while it wasn't entirely gone, it was a lot more muted now. He seemed to be slightly more toned though, and his hair was much tidier than Ken was used to seeing it. Stranger than any of that was the fact that he was wearing long, denim jeans instead of the khaki shorts that he always used to wear. It didn't matter what time of the year it was, Daisuke always had shorts on.
Ken shook his head and tried to ignore the fears that were creeping up into his head. He was overreacting… None of it meant that Daisuke himself had changed. So what if he was a bit paler? That didn't matter. And after having been surrounded by nothing but English speakers for the last two years, it made sense for Daisuke's Japanese to come out a bit stiff now. Besides, Mimi had come back from New York with many of the same changes herself, but she was still just as close to everyone.
Ken gasped as he was suddenly pulled out of his seat by Miyako. She had a sneaky grin on her face as she tugged him forward, Hikari following along quickly behind them.
"Daisuke!" Taichi smirked playfully as he continued to hold onto Daisuke's shoulders.
"How have you been?!" Yamato laughed.
Daisuke groaned as he finally managed to wrench himself away from the older boys, his hair now a wild mess and his face flushed with obvious embarrassment. As his assailants cackled together, Daisuke glared and began trying to smooth his hair back down. "Man! I finally come home and the first thing you do is-!"
Daisuke's eyes moved over to Ken for a moment and he froze, his words stopping dead in his throat. Ken's heart sped up as he stared at his best friend in person for the first time in two years - especially when Daisuke's smile lit up on his face like a beacon. All of the other boy's previous frustrations seemed to vanish in the flash of a second.
"Ken!" Daisuke exclaimed as he darted over and threw his arms around Ken's shoulders with an excited gasp. Ken yelped and stumbled back a bit, barely managing to stay on his feet.
Suddenly everything was incredibly overwhelming. Ken's body felt like mush with Daisuke's arms wrapped around him so tightly, the other boy's warmth seeping into his skin through their clothes. Daisuke's smell was both familiar and new, and it surrounded them just as surely as his arms did.
The connection that they'd always shared after their first Jogress together, while never going away entirely, had waned over the last couple of years. Something that had once been so natural for Ken had become forced, until he had to focus hard in order to feel Daisuke's heart beat at all. But just like that, it was now rushing back at him in full force as though it had never been gone at all.
As Daisuke pulled back and let go, Ken realized that his friend's smile hadn't lessened in the slightest, and neither had his own racing heart. If anything, it had only sped up more. Everything he'd noticed just a minute ago changed from scary to attractive. Now that they were closer, Daisuke's skin looked pleasantly smooth, and his expression was just as warm as his embrace had been. His cologne was soft and inviting, and his trimmed hair suited him quite well. Even the sight of him in long jeans was strangely fitting, his pants matching up very well with his black t-shirt.
Ken tried to open his mouth to say something, but he was rendered speechless from the sudden influx of emotions. Thoughts and feelings that he'd only pondered about over the past couple of years were suddenly slamming into him like a train. He tried desperately to sort them out, but there wasn't enough time for that.
"Ken…?" Daisuke asked hesitantly, and Ken couldn't deny that the way he spoke his name with just a tad too much emphasis on the consonants was… not unattractive.
After closing his eyes for a second, Ken cleared his throat and tried again, but he was met with the same outcome. It took all of his willpower to force even a few words out. "S-Sorry… I just…" When he couldn't get anything else out of his mouth after that, he ducked his beet-red face down and quickly turned away. His heart was hammering with guilt at the image of Daisuke's sad expression just a moment ago.
'Damn it!' Ken lamented internally. Was this actually happening? He was finally getting to interact with Daisuke again after two whole years of nothing but online conversations, and all he could do was freeze up and glance away?! He probably looked like a love-sick fool or something! For crying out loud, he was a college graduate! He had no business acting like a middle schooler! This was the exact same thing he always teased Miyako for, and it-! Oh no…
Ken made the awful mistake of meeting Miyako's gaze. Her viscous smirk sank into him predatorily - she knew exactly what was going on.
Anyone who had still been looking at Ken wasn't for too much longer as Miyako's loud cackle filled the room. All eyes shifted onto her, including Ken's, whose gaze sharpened fiercely with warning. His cheeks were burning and his fists were clenched. She wasn't going to say anything, was she? She wouldn't… She wouldn't!
This was the worst! It had always been Miyako on this side of the love-freeze! Ken would of course tease her mercilessly in the same situation, but he'd never do it in front of anyone else! Even if this was the karma he deserved, she surely wouldn't be public about it! Having such strong feelings for someone was a very new thing to him, especially when that very someone went barreling into him for a hug!
Ken's eyes changed from serious to desperate as Miyako continued to laugh. Her hands were over her mouth as she tried to stifle the sound, but she was clearly struggling with everyone staring at her the way they were. Hikari was whispering something into her ear, though Ken had no idea what it was. She wasn't conspiring against him too, was she?!
"What the heck…?" Daisuke asked slowly with the most confused expression on his face. "What's so funny?"
Ken turned around to face Daisuke finally, the fear of his emotions being discovered propelling him forward. "Oh, she's just…!"
"I am drunk!" Miyako announced through her giggles, Hikari snickering into her hand nearby.
"Jeez, Miyako!" Daisuke raised an eyebrow at her, though he seemed to believe her easily enough. "Did you drink an entire keg already?!"
"Huh? But she didn't-!" Taichi began to protest, but stopped when Hikari nudged him firmly in the side.
"Oh, Daisuke… Don't worry your pretty little head over it," Miyako said, emphasizing her words while looking straight at Ken. When her smirk came back tenfold, Hikari quickly pulled her back over to the table. While the others either followed Miyako's lead or went over to the bar to finally get food, Ken turned around so that he couldn't see them anymore. Instead he was faced with an utterly bewildered Daisuke, who didn't seem to have realized that she'd been lying about drinking.
Daisuke shook his head. "She never gets any less weird."
"Heh, y-yeah…" Ken cleared his throat and laughed a bit. "She's… She's something."
It was quiet between them as they watched the others grabbing sushi off the bar, and then sitting down at the table together. Ken fiddled idly with the bottom hem of his shirt as he failed to come up with anything to talk about. There were so many things he wanted to say, and yet all of it felt incredibly stupid after all that.
Ken shifted on his feet a bit and Daisuke did the same, clearly feeling just as awkward.
"So…" Daisuke trailed off after another moment or two, bringing Ken out of his thoughts. His voice dropped down low, though whether it was because he was nervous or because he didn't want the others to hear him, Ken wasn't entirely certain. "Do I really have an accent?" Daisuke was looking at Ken with a strong apprehension on his face as he asked the question.
"It's small, but…" Ken managed, and he was proud of himself for not stuttering that time. "Yeah, you do."
Daisuke groaned loudly and put his hands over his face, his cheeks turning much darker now. "This is horrible!" he moaned through his fingers. "Jun will never let me live it down!"
"I think it's cute-" Ken said without thinking, cutting himself off as quickly as he could. The little bit of composure that he'd managed to get back into place immediately crumbled, and before he could stop himself, he blushed and let out a flustered sputter. When Daisuke lowered his hands and blinked at him in response, Ken spun on his heel and marched over to the bar to grab food, praying that his friend hadn't picked up on what he'd said.
How humiliating... This was already a disaster, and Daisuke hadn't even been there for five minutes yet!
Ken grabbed a couple plates of sushi in a bit of a daze, not really paying attention to what he was even reaching for. He could feel Daisuke staring at him nearby as he grabbed food as well. After Ken turned around and headed back over to the table, he realized that his seat between Miyako and Hikari had become occupied by Jun, which meant the only place left for him to sit was...
"There you are!" Ken's mother looked up at him from her chair and motioned to the two empty spots beside her. "Miyako said you had hoped to sit next to Daisuke, so Jun moved. Isn't that nice?"
It wasn't that he didn't want to be near Daisuke. Truly, it wasn't! He just…! Everything was really sudden, and…! And he still hadn't managed to say anything without sounding pathetic! He needed to get himself together... No more nervousness! He was much too old to be acting this way.
Daisuke walked past him and took one of the two available spots at the table. "Thanks," he said with a smile, though Ken could hear an uncharacteristic nervousness in his voice.
"Yeah…" Ken sat down between Daisuke and his mother as gracefully as he could with everything that was going on. His eyes narrowed sharply at Miyako. "Thank you for your well-intended consideration."
"Oh, you are most welcome," Miyako smiled back innocently, though her eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint. "I was just doing what we both know you really wanted, that's all."
Ken could tell that Daisuke was watching their exchange closely. When he turned to try and ask what was wrong though, Daisuke had already looked away. For a moment Ken considered asking him if he was alright, but he didn't get the chance before someone else spoke up.
"So, Daisuke!" Sora smiled over at them. "How was your flight back home?"
"Oh, it was alright," Daisuke replied as a notification sounded from his phone. His expression and voice were strangely reserved, and he was fidgeting quite noticeably in his seat. "Really long and boring..." He slumped forward a bit after that and sighed, looking down at the screen on the small device in his hands. "My back still hurts from sitting for hours."
As Ken nibbled on his food, he caught the way Daisuke glanced over at him for just a split second before looking away. This definitely wasn't helping him to act more normally...
"Didn't you get up and stretch on the plane?" Hikari asked.
Daisuke shrugged, "A few times, but they wouldn't let me get up as often as I wanted."
Ken felt his chest tighten at the sight of Daisuke looking down at his phone again with a frown on his face. He tried to eat more, but he was feeling much less hungry now. Something wasn't right... Was Daisuke acting so uncomfortable because of Ken's awkward behavior a little while ago? Or was it because of whatever he was reading on his phone?
"They definitely should have let you move around more!" Jun groaned loudly from the other side of the table. "You guys should have seen him after he got off the plane! I couldn't get him to quit running around for more than five seconds! It was even worse in the car, he kept-!"
"Oh, like you're any better!" Daisuke scoffed at his sister, and some of his normal emotion came back to his voice finally. "I'm just not cut out for long trips like that!"
"What are you a dog?" Jun reached across the table and poked her brother's shoulder with a smirk. "Puppy Daisuke!"
Mr. Motomiya cleared his throat loudly and gave his daughter a frustrated expression, causing her to sigh and sit back in her seat without another word. He laughed and shook his head before turning toward his son. "Well, we're glad you're home. I'm sure you're tired."
"Yeah, the jet lag is pretty bad," Daisuke nodded. "I tried to sleep a few times, but I just-" he stopped himself abruptly, and was silent for a moment before continuing. "I… I just had too much on my mind."
"Think you'll miss anything about New York?" Koushiro asked. "Mimi seems to really like it there."
Daisuke shrugged, "I guess I'll miss the sounds. Both of my dorm rooms were right by the street. There were a lot of bars and stuff, so it was really hard to sleep at first. Cars were honking all night, and all the drunk people were super loud and annoying! But I guess I got used to it after a while. It'll be weird to sleep in a quiet apartment tonight..."
"I could always come over and bang a bunch of pans around your place!" Taichi laughed.
Sora sighed and put her face in her hand as Taichi proceeded to describe all the different ways he could make a commotion, and how Yamato could sing to the beat. As everyone laughed and offered far more genuine suggestions to Daisuke's noise dilemma, Ken glanced over at his friend. Daisuke seemed to have been doing the same thing at the same time as him, and their gaze met. At first Daisuke looked away, but almost immediately he shook his head and turned back to face Ken directly.
"Hey!" Daisuke said cheerfully all of a sudden. "How have you been? You know, since the last time we talked, which was like... a week ago?" He laughed a bit, though his behavior and tone of voice still seemed off.
"I'm fine," Ken said as he tried to ignore the nervous chill settling over his skin. "I've been..." he began, but stopped when his eye caught both Miyako and Hikari getting up and walking over to his mother. Hikari whispered something into Mrs. Ichijouji's ear while Miyako giggled. What were they up to? They were plotting something, he could tell! Hikari was betraying him now too, and they were getting his mother involved in it!
"You've been...?" Daisuke's voice cut through his thoughts.
Ken cleared his throat and turned to face Daisuke again, though his attention was still stuck on the conspiring girls behind him. "I've been well! I'm about to turn in a bunch of apprenticeship applications. I'm a little nervous about it I guess…"
Daisuke smiled brightly. "Awe, don't be nervous! You'll get a great job for sure, trust me. You're way too smart not to!"
Ken laughed and shook his head, feeling a bit flustered and lost for words. He'd never been good at responding to praise. Normally it didn't bother him when it was Daisuke saying it, but their interactions hadn't exactly been normal so far.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' Ken lamented internally.
Suddenly Daisuke's phone started ringing, the texts and various other notifications he'd been receiving having only stopped for a couple of minutes. Daisuke let out a long, irritated sigh. "Sorry everyone... Apparently I have to handle this right now." Daisuke stood up and walked over to the other side of the room, holding the phone up to his ear. At first Ken didn't think much of the call, until he heard Daisuke answer it in English.
"Hello?" Daisuke said so quietly that it was hard to hear. "Yeah, this is Daisuke."
"Awe, look at him!" Mrs. Motomiya gushed at her son. "He's learned so much!"
"No... told Ryan I can't... another week..." Daisuke continued, though Ken was only able to catch bits and pieces of it, and not everything he heard did he understand. Daisuke didn't sound too happy with the conversation for some reason. "It's... great job... I know I should... just not ready to... running a business… soon as I can..."
"What's he talking about?" Yamato asked the group. His eyes settled mostly on Koushiro though, who they all knew could speak English much more fluently than the rest of them.
Koushiro leaned forward at the table and hummed thoughtfully, "It sounds like he's asking for more time to respond to a job offer. Something about… helping to run a company I think?"
"Wait, in New York?" Mr. Motomiya asked quickly, his words causing Ken's heart to stop in his chest.
"I'm not sure," Koushiro shook his head. "I can only hear his side of the conversation."
"Okay, I'll try and..." Daisuke seemed to be wrapping up the call. "That's fine, I think it would be... Thank you for... with the... You too, bye." Daisuke sighed as he hung up and stuffed the phone back into his pocket more aggressively than was necessary. "God damn it…" he grumbled to himself, his words still coming out in English.
Well if nothing else, Ken definitely recognized the swear words.
As soon as Daisuke sat back down at the table, his father was fishing for more information. "What was that call about?" he asked his son excitedly as his wife nodded along in agreement. "Koushiro said something about running a company in New York? Is that what it was?! You can tell us!"
Daisuke's eyes widened. "I…" he trailed off, clearly struggling with a response. Eventually he let out a breath and looked down at his hands uncomfortably.
A terrible sickness was pooling up in Ken's stomach. A part of him just wanted to get up and leave the room so he didn't have to hear anymore of the conversation. Had Daisuke really been given an opportunity like that back in New York? He wanted to feel happy for him, but that was a lot easier said than done. Worse yet, what if Daisuke was feeling pressured to say no to the offer because of his promise to come back home?
Both of them had adamantly agreed that he'd return after two years no matter what happened, and that nothing would change. They'd go back to being best friends and everything would be okay, and they could worry about all the dramatic relationship stuff later. But that was a long time ago. What if Daisuke felt differently about it after two years apart? It wouldn't be too surprising if he did. People changed, even people like Daisuke…
Ken really didn't know how to feel anymore. If Daisuke honestly wanted to take that job but felt like he couldn't because of Ken, then that definitely didn't make him feel good. He didn't want to be the reason for someone else holding themselves back when they could have succeeded – especially not his own best friend.
"Can we talk about something else?" Daisuke asked after a long silence. His voice was quiet and meek, which was strange to hear coming from him.
"But Daisuke!" Mrs. Motomiya gasped and shook her head in confusion. "Couldn't you give it a shot for a couple of months at least? If you're really not happy then you can always come back home after that, and at least then you'll know for sure that it didn't work out."
"It would definitely give you some great experience if nothing else!" Mr. Motomiya nodded along with his wife. "It's not like we don't want you to come home or something. I don't want to give you that impression. We love you, we're glad you're back! We just don't want you to say no because you feel pressured, that's all."
Suddenly Daisuke's expression turned much more firm, and his voice more aggressive. "I'm not talking about it right now! Drop it!"
Ken looked down at the floor and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and not just from the sadness creeping up on him. There was an awkward air in the room after how aggressive Daisuke had been toward his parents. Admittedly they had been very pushy about the whole thing, but Daisuke really should have been more understanding. He looked very upset, both at the conversation and perhaps a bit at himself for his own reaction. His parents were clearly just confused.
"I'm sorry…" Daisuke sighed quickly. "I didn't mean to be rude, I just… Can we please talk about something else right now? I'll talk to you about the phone call later, okay?"
"Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm definitely ready to eat," Yamato offered quickly, and the others all nodded in agreement. The awkwardness was covered up by forced chatting, everyone clearly eager to move on from the uncomfortable conversation that had just occurred. Ken, however, remained silent. He could feel Daisuke's presence nearby, but he couldn't bring himself to look over at him.
He felt his mother's hand over his own, and he realized that he'd been struggling to hold his chop sticks correctly. His hands had been shaking too much and he couldn't get a good grip over them. He quickly set them down and tried to cheer himself up. He shouldn't be so upset over this! It was just a job offer. It wasn't the end of the world. Daisuke was home now and that was all that mattered. If he wanted to go back to America and take that job, well... they would cross that road when it came up.
… Nope, that didn't help at all.
As soon as everyone finished eating and they were all getting up to leave, their bill having been paid, Mrs. Ichijouji suddenly clapped her hands together, "Oh, Ken-chan!" she smiled. "We should go put Daisuke's bags out in the car now!"
"… Right!" Hikari's face suddenly lit up and she quickly ran over to help with the suitcases before Ken even had a chance to respond. "Let me help you with those!"
"Wha-?" Ken began, but was immediately cut off.
"Oh jeez, let me help too!" Jun groaned as she took the rest of the bags along with Hikari. "His stuff is super heavy!"
Ken blinked and stared after the two girls as they made their way outside the restaurant. He had no idea what was going on. Where were they taking Daisuke's bags all of a sudden? Was his mom helping Jun take him over to their parent's place or something?
"I'll wait for you two out in the car," Mrs. Ichijouji said as she picked up the last of Daisuke's luggage, and then turned to face them. "Don't take too long though, okay? I'm sure Daisuke is very excited to sleep over at your place this weekend!"
Ken stood frozen beside a speechless Daisuke, his mother turning and leaving the room with the brightest of smiles on her face.
Miyako walked up beside him after a moment or two and placed a rough hand on his shoulder. "I let your mom know that you reeeaaally hoped Daisuke could stay with you, since you've missed him so much and all that. It was sure nice of her to drive you guys on such short notice!"
Ken did his best to ignore the way his stomach flopped as he glanced over his shoulder at her. "How very cunning that was of you."
"Gosh, wasn't it though?!" Miyako giggled and gave him an innocent smile before heading back over to the others, who were all gathering up their things.
This was surely what the girls had been whispering about with his mom. They'd set him and Daisuke up! Well, he didn't think Jun was in on it, but the rest of them definitely were! And Ken didn't dare deny any of it now either, or he'd just look even worse!
"Hey... Ken?" Daisuke asked nervously. "You seem really uncomfortable having me come over. Are you sure it's okay? If not I can just-"
"No, no!" Ken quickly turned to face him. This was terrible... None of this had gone the way he'd hoped. He needed to fix this. "Really, it's totally fine," Ken said in the most reassuring voice he could manage. "I'm sorry if I confused you, I'm just… really out of it tonight."
Daisuke looked at him for a long while, seeming to try and pick apart Ken's words in his mind. For the first time that night though, Ken finally managed to get a genuine hold over himself. He smiled and ignored his nerves and anxiety. Otherwise he was going to make Daisuke think he didn't want to be friends anymore, and there really wasn't anything worse than that - especially when the actual problem was quite the opposite.
As Ken fished around in his pocket for his keys, he heard his phone receive three more texts one after the other. It was surely just more teasing from Miyako, who had been sending him silly messages ever since they left the restaurant. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes at her antics, he opened the door and pulled two large suitcases inside along with him. Daisuke followed after him with the last of his bags, shutting and locking the door.
The apartment was quiet as Ken switched on the lights. The downtown city noises floated in through the windows as the curtains moved gently with the breeze. Normally Ken didn't leave it open while he was away, but he was on the third floor and the building was secured, so he wasn't too worried about it. More than anything he was just embarrassed. He hadn't expected to have company over, so he hadn't exactly cleaned the place up ahead of time. All the stress of Daisuke's homecoming preparations had caused him to be a lot messier over the past few days than normal.
"Wow…" Daisuke said as he looked around the apartment. "Your place is so nice! This is really where you've been living?"
Ken blinked when he realized that the same messy apartment he'd just been lamenting over was the same one that his friend was now praising. He glanced around and examined everything with more detail than he had in a long time. It certainly was bigger than either his or Daisuke's old dorm rooms from a couple years back, and it was valued highly for its view of the city. It was nice to have an actual bedroom too, as opposed to the studios he'd stayed in during community college.
"My parents are the only reason I've been able to afford it for this long," Ken admitted.
Daisuke nodded, and then his eyes darted over to the kitchen. "Your oven! That's a really good brand!"
Ken laughed when Daisuke didn't wait for a response before running off into the kitchen to further inspect it. As he opened up all the cupboards and gushed over the expensive pots and pans that had been given as housewarming gifts, Ken found himself looking around at his apartment again. Somehow it seemed brighter now. He'd always felt like it was big and empty. It was dark a lot of the time, and it made him feel lonely on most days. Maybe it was nicer than he'd given it credit for.
"… find it anywhere!" Daisuke laughed as he turned back around toward the cupboard, Ken having missed the first part of his comment. "I mean I guess I found it online eventually, but they wanted way too much money for it! International shipping sucks!" Daisuke grinned and then put the pot he was holding away. Ken didn't really know what he was talking about, but he was just happy to see his friend at all, and in person!
Daisuke… He really was there, wasn't he? It almost felt too good to be true. Just moments ago he'd practically been too nervous to speak, and now he wasn't sure how he felt. He was at least pleased to see that the awkwardness he'd expected to come never did. Maybe being alone together in a more private location was the reason why, or maybe it was because Daisuke wasn't as stressed now for some reason. In any case, his best friend's knack for cheering him up in an otherwise gloomy situation was as sharp as ever, it seemed.
In the back of his mind, Ken couldn't help but pray that Daisuke was here to stay for good. Maybe Koushiro had misunderstood? He knew he should just ask Daisuke directly, but the fear of spoiling the good mood with potentially upsetting news was holding him back.
"… really appreciate it." Daisuke's voice pulled Ken out of his thoughts. "Hey, you weren't even listening to me!"
"I'm sorry!" Ken blushed and shook his head. "What did you say?"
Daisuke huffed and stuck his nose up in the air. "I'm not telling you now," he claimed, though the mirth in his voice gave his bluff away.
"Oh, come on!" Ken laughed and nudged at Daisuke's shoulder, his curiosity getting the better of him.
With a shake of his head, Daisuke turned to the side and crossed his arms dramatically. He seemed to be struggling not to laugh, so Ken poked at his side where he knew he was ticklish. Daisuke gasped and took a step back, and a mischievous smirk suddenly crossed over his face. Ken gasped as Daisuke assaulted his neck with tickles. He quickly grabbed one of the nearby pillows off the couch and began smacking him with it repeatedly.
As the two of them laughed and fought, Daisuke having grabbed the matching pillow in retaliation, Ken felt the heaviness lift from his shoulders finally. Being able to mess around with Daisuke like this had always meant a lot to him. He never let himself act so ridiculous around anyone else.
Daisuke managed to smack Ken's pillow out of his hand, though he ended up stumbling over his own feet and toppling to the floor in the process. Ken laughed while the other boy grumbled. Very quickly Ken was left giggling almost uncontrollably with a hand over his mouth, his cheeks burning from the awkward nervousness filling up inside his chest. He turned away after Daisuke stood back up, feeling highly embarrassed at how stupid he was acting.
However, as soon as the other boy's phone started ringing a few seconds later, the lighthearted mood slammed back down into the floor again. Daisuke growled and pulled it out of his pocket, glancing down at the screen as he checked to see who it was. He silenced it put it away without responding, but nevertheless it made Ken's heart sink. He kept trying it ignore it and just enjoy his friend's company, but with the constant reminders...
"Hey," Daisuke began nervously. "Is everything alright? You've seemed really off the whole night."
Ken sighed and looked down at the floor. "Well… It's just that back at the restaurant, you um…" As he tried to finish his statement, he felt a cold shiver wash over him. He was really dreading this. "It seemed like you might have gotten a job offer in New York…? I want you to know that no matter how I feel about it, I would support you and-"
"Ken," Daisuke cut him off with a shake of his head. He bit his lip and frowned, seeming unsure of how to explain whatever was on his mind. After a moment though, he walked over to one of his suitcases and began rummaging through it. "This is exactly why I asked them to call me tomorrow about the job and not today…" he grumbled to himself as he pulled out what appeared to be a photo album.
As Daisuke walked over to the couch and sat down, Ken found himself following automatically. The photo album was fairly plain, but he recognized it as the one that Daisuke took with him to New York. He'd put a picture of himself and Ken right in the very front, with the intention of filling the rest of it up with memories of New York for when he came back home.
Sure enough, the first photo in the album was the same one that had been placed there two years ago. Ken couldn't help but smile at the image of him and Daisuke standing side-by-side on the Odaiba Middle School soccer field, Daisuke with his arm wrapped around Ken's shoulder, and Ken holding onto a grass-stained ball. The two of them were in their opposing uniforms, covered in mud from head to toe and dripping with rainwater. Contrary to the atrocious weather they'd been forced to play in, however, neither one of them could have had a brighter smile on their face.
After the page was turned, Ken found himself looking at four pictures of Daisuke during his first week in New York. Ryan was in all of them of course, he and Daisuke having hit it off immediately. The first was of them in front of their shared locker, and the picture beneath it was of them making silly faces in his classroom on the first day of school. On the page beside it there was a picture of Daisuke shopping in New York City with Ryan, and beneath it was one of them in front of the Statue of Liberty. He was smiling in all of them, but Ken couldn't help noticing that something was missing – something that he couldn't quite place. It was more like a gut feeling that he had no real explanation for.
Daisuke turned the page again, and this time Ken was surprised to find four pictures of himself instead of more from New York. They were all ones that Ken had sent to him over email, which had clearly been printed and cut out so that Daisuke could put them in the album. He stared down at his own pictures, of the time he hung out at the Odaiba Ferris Wheel with Hikari and Miyako, of his mother and him standing in front of Tokyo University with his acceptance letter in his hand, of him and his family together at the beach, and of his own first day at school. Every picture he remembered clearly, and every one of them gave him the same strange feeling that something was off.
As they continued through the album, Ken became more and more aware of the fact that there were just as many pictures of him, and of his own life during the past two years, as there were of Daisuke in New York. Some of the slots where a picture was supposed to go instead contained the folded up letters which Ken had mailed to Daisuke over the years. Each one was perfectly preserved like the day he'd sent them.
It wasn't until they reached another picture from long ago that Ken realized he had tears in his eyes. They were in the Digital World in this one, both of them asleep with their Digimon cuddled up in their laps. Daisuke was leaning against Ken with his head in the crook of his neck. Hikari had taken the picture if he remembered correctly. And yet, even while sleeping on the cold ground, there were the faintest traces of smiles on their faces.
Ken reached forward and flipped the book back to the picture of them on the soccer field together. He finally realized what was missing, and he couldn't stop himself from smiling even as he wiped his eyes. There was a sparkle of life on both of their faces that wasn't fully present in any of the other pictures – the single exception being the one of them in the Digital World.
"I worked really hard to keep a brave face on while I was there," Daisuke said as he smiled down at their soccer picture, his eyes just as wet as Ken's were. "I didn't want you to know how sad I was. Ryan got me through it. I don't know what I would have done without him. Jeez, I'm pretty sure he knows your blood type by now, I never stopped talking about you! Every day I told myself, just get through this so I can go back home… Just one more day, one more week…"
Ken couldn't help but laugh at the similarities between their experiences as he looked back down at the picture. "I was so afraid you'd decide to just stay in New York."
Daisuke snorted and shook his head. "I can't think of anything worse than that! I thought of you every single day. I could still feel our connection… Our hearts and how synced we are and whatnot… But it was so far away. It really upset me! What if I came home and our connection was gone?"
"What if we couldn't talk like we used to?" Ken continued where his friend had left off. "What if we drifted apart?"
"What if you were engaged to Miyako?"
Ken burst out laughing as soon as the question left his friend's lips. He tried covering his mouth, but it didn't help at all. Before long he was giggling more than he surely should have been, but he couldn't help it. Daisuke shoved him playfully in response, Ken having to quickly plant his hand down on the couch to keep himself from falling over. Nevertheless, even with all that, the smiles never faded from either of their faces in the slightest.
"Laugh all you want!" Daisuke said as he rolled his eyes, his grin still quite visible. "But you guys started hanging out all the time after I left!"
"I know," Ken admitted when he finally could stop laughing. "It wasn't like that though. It just… wasn't like that at all. I can't even imagine us together like that. I only could before because I was, you know… putting her in your place or something." It was an old conversation, but he still remembered it like it was yesterday.
"She kept teasing you at the restaurant," Daisuke groaned. "It was super gross!"
It was Ken's turn to roll his eyes now. "Oh come on, you know she's just like that in general. She teases everyone!"
"Yeah, well…" Daisuke crossed his arms, and Ken caught the slight hints of a blush on his face. "I get jealous when I really like someone…"
Ken felt little bubbles of both glee and nervousness filling up and popping in his chest at the direction the conversation had just turned. Hearing the other boy essentially admit to still having feelings for him was a lot to confront, no matter how much time he'd had to prepare for it. He almost wished Hikari was there to whisper advice into his ear. He should probably admit to liking him back, but it was just so hard to get the words out!
After failing multiple times to say any of the thoughts in his mind, Ken pulled his knees up to his chest protectively. He rested his chin on top of them and tried to just relax instead. He'd never get anywhere if he was freaking out, that was for sure…
"I tried going to a gay bar once," Ken found himself blurting out after a comfortable enough silence had passed between them. Daisuke's wide-eyed response made Ken's cheeks burn, but he still continued with his story. Maybe he could hint at his feelings with more success, rather than saying them directly. "I never actually made it inside. I was so afraid… I think maybe I could have done it if you'd been there with me, but going alone was too much."
"Let me guess," Daisuke smirked. "You got all the way there, crossed the street, stood right outside the place, aaaaaand then turned right back around and left."
Ken groaned loudly into his knees from the complete accuracy of his friend's description.
"Hah!" Daisuke exclaimed victoriously, and suddenly Ken found himself laughing against his will. The other boy followed suit, and soon enough the two of them were giggling together. The room filled with mirth, and the air felt lighter as the heavy seriousness that had surrounded them finally dissipated.
There was a shift in weight on the couch as Daisuke stood up. Ken watched as he made his way over to the window and looked out at the streets below, his face calm and almost relieved for some reason. He seemed to be at peace finally. Ken remembered the conversation earlier at the restaurant, about how he missed the loud noises of the bustling city. He supposed his apartment had always had a fairly good amount of such noise, though he'd never liked it much himself.
All of the shadows and creases in Daisuke's skin were visible in the moonlight, and it made him look older. They had both grown a lot, he supposed. Daisuke had matured quite a bit since their childhood, and it showed in the way he held himself. He was still the same fun-loving boy that he'd met of course, but there was something a bit more refined about him now. Maybe it was life and all the experience that came with it, or maybe it was something about looking down at the Tokyo streets. Whatever it was, Ken found himself staring.
He wished he was braver, like Daisuke was. Then he could just say all of that without fear, or even if he was afraid, it wouldn't be enough to hold him back. Daisuke had already admitted to feeling jealous of Miyako still, so he'd said more than enough. Ken just needed to do the same now…
"I wish my parents lived up here," Daisuke mused as he continued looking outside.
"You can…" Ken began, feeling a twinge of fear again. "You can stay here for a while, if you want… O-Or just for the weekend if you'd rather," he quickly added at the end, though he immediately regretted it. He was supposed to tell Daisuke he liked him! Not that he wanted to rush into things, but he didn't want to give off the impression that he wasn't interested either. His mom already knew and had accepted it, and Hikari and Miyako were both rooting for him. He'd thought about it over and over again, and had found so much resolve before... So why was he clenching up now?
Before Ken even realized that Daisuke had come back over to the couch, he was sitting down beside him and hugging him tightly. His grip was firm, though not painfully so. At first Ken froze, but after a moment he settled down and even managed to hug him back this time. He made a point of it after how badly their last hug had gone.
"I'm sorry for how I acted earlier…" Ken sighed. "I was just nervous and overreacting."
Daisuke shook his head and held him tighter. His words were shaky as he choked back tears. "I've missed you so much… I could never take a job so far away from you… I only wanted them to call me so I could recommend Ryan for it."
Ken shook his head as tears filled his eyes again. His friend was still resting his head on his shoulder, and his arms were around his waist, but his grip was much looser. Ken closed his eyes and let out a long, much needed sigh of content. It felt so nice to feel him again, with their hearts beating in unison together. It only happened when they Jogressed or when they had physical contact, and it was something he'd taken very much for granted.
Daisuke put a hand over Ken's chest, seeming to feel for his heart in hopes of confirming the same thing. Ken smiled at the touch, and he couldn't help but do the same back. It was there just as it had always been, and just as strongly as ever. It meant the world to feel it again after two years apart.
Eventually Daisuke pulled away, seeming to have found a similar sort of relief. Their eyes met, and his smile was so genuine that Ken couldn't help but feel lost in it. It was infectious, just like Daisuke himself was. When he was happy, others around him were happy. It never failed.
After a moment or two, Ken realized that neither had looked away yet. Daisuke's eyes held more depth than he could keep up with, and he was staring at him with so much emotion that it made his hands shake nervously. His best friend had always been emotional, but being back together like this was clearly affecting him quite strongly. It was affecting Ken too… Enough that he didn't pull away when it seemed like Daisuke might be leaning forward a bit.
… Until Daisuke yawned. He groaned out the last of the yawn in irritation as the mood was killed. Ken couldn't help but laugh, Daisuke following suit almost immediately. Their giggles were nervous but happy, and they lasted just a bit longer than was probably appropriate.
"You want to go to bed now?" Ken asked. It was still a bit early, but he could tell that Daisuke needed the rest.
Daisuke seemed a bit sad at the topic change, though he didn't dwell on it long before nodding. "I'll sleep on the couch."
"Actually," Ken began as he stood up and ushered Daisuke to do the same. Once they were both standing, he pushed the coffee table aside and quickly setup the pull-out bed from inside the couch. It already had clean sheets and a blanket on it, leaving only pillows to be had.
Daisuke whistled, "That definitely beats my parent's couch! Apparently my room is a huge mess right now and there's stuff all over my bed."
Ken chuckled as he walked down the hallway to get a couple spare pillows. When he returned, he found Daisuke pulling his shirt off as he began dressing for bed. "Oh, sorry!" Ken quickly turned around and clutched the pillows close to him. "Let me know when you're done."
There was really no reason for him to be acting so modestly about it, given that they'd seen each other naked many times already. Things were a bit different between them now though… He wasn't entirely sure what kind of behavior was okay and what wasn't. They weren't exactly together, but they weren't exactly not together either. There was surely some kind of protocol for this situation, but he definitely didn't know what it was.
"Mkay," Daisuke yawned, and from the sounds of it he flopped down on the bed.
Ken tossed the pillows over to him and grinned. He didn't head into his room right away though. He was waiting for… something. He didn't know what it was, but he almost felt like Daisuke wanted to say something. Or maybe he should say something? Why was everything so awkward?!
"Well…" Ken rubbed the back of his neck nervously when no one spoke up after a bit. "Goodnight, then."
"Hey…" Daisuke said just as Ken was about to leave, causing his heart to skip a beat. "I uh… I was wondering if you might want to… you know… go get lunch with me tomorrow? As like…"
Ken could feel the bubbles building up in his chest again as he turned around to face Daisuke.
"As like, you know… more than just friends?" Daisuke finally asked, and almost immediately he shook his head. "Unless that's too fast! That's way too fast, isn't it? I just got here today… Jeez… I'm sorry, that was a dumb idea. I don't know what I was-"
"Okay," Ken blurted out suddenly, his cheeks immediately turning red.
"Wait… for real?!" Daisuke's eyes lit up brighter than Ken could ever remember seeing them, even more than when they'd first laid eyes on each other back at the restaurant.
"Yeah," Ken nodded as he tried to hide how much his hands were shaking. "S-See you in the morning?"
Daisuke nodded and pulled the blanket up over himself, looking starry eyed and on top of the world. Ken quickly made his way into his room before he exploded with nerves in front of his friend or something. Not that it stopped him from doing so into one of his pillows, which was the first thing he did as soon as he shut his door and laid down on his bed. He groaned and laughed, and made all sorts of other random noises that bubbled up out of him.
Of course he was happy, but he was also terrified! This was both the best thing he could imagine and the worst. He'd never dated anyone, and his past experiences with Daisuke had been under such unusual circumstances that he didn't really know if they counted anymore. How was he supposed to sleep when he was so nervous?!
Ken did his best to try and take his mind off his nerves, but everything he did only resulted in him inevitably pacing around his room. The first couple of times it happened he simply shook his head and tried to just get back to his apprentice applications, or in the case of the second time, checking his email. Once it had happened a third time though, this time while reading a book, he gave up and decided to just change into his pajamas and turn in for bed early. He was clearly not going to get anything productive done with so much on his mind.
Sleeping wasn't easy, and it certainly didn't come right away. Eventually his mind grew foggy though, and his thoughts changed from coherent to cloudy. Everything was dark as sleep overtook him, and for a while it remained that way. At some point it changed though.
Everything around him was hazy and his body felt weak. It was hot in the room, and there was a beeping sound nearby. Ken felt a terrible nostalgia welling up inside of him.
"Let go of me!" Daisuke's shout echoed through the darkness. "Ken!" he called out, his voice cracking with desperation. "Wake up! Tell Andromon to stop!"
There was a sound of shuffling feet and a pained gasp in the darkness. Ken could feel a soft, warm bed beneath him, but he couldn't see anything.
"Andromon, please!" Daisuke begged, his voice becoming breathless and a bit quieter, as though he was getting farther away. "Don't make me leave! Ken was delirious, you can't take that order! I can help you save him! I can fucking help you guys!"
"You have done all that was required of you," Andromon responded. "Master already made it clear that there is nothing more you can do for him."
"That's not why he made me leave you asshole!" Daisuke yelled furiously. "He did it to protect me! Ken!" he called out again, until finally his voice was too far out of reach to hear.
Ken sat up in bed with a gasp, his hair matted against his face from how much he'd apparently been sweating. He pulled his knees up to his chest and took a deep breath to try and stay calm.
That was a new nightmare… He'd been positive that he'd finally seen them all by now, but apparently there was always one more to discover. No matter how many he saw, they just never seemed to end. It left a terrible emptiness in his chest, and he couldn't help choke back a sob. He tried taking in a deep breath and wiping the tears from his eyes, but neither helped in the slightest.
A few seconds later Ken had buried his face into his pillow to keep the sound of his crying down. He didn't want to disturb Daisuke with this - especially not on his first day back! There couldn't have been a worse time to have one of these nightmares… And to make matters worse, the more he tried to calm down, the worse it seemed to get.
Ken bit his lip and scrubbed at his eyes when he heard the bedroom door open.
"Ken…?" Daisuke's nervous voice floated into the room.
"I'm fine," Ken stammered as his friend came further into the room. "D-Don't worry about me, you should go back to-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Daisuke had walked across the room and crawled into bed with him, pulling the blanket up over them and laying his head down on the pillow. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, nuzzling his face into Ken's hair and tangling their legs together. His body was warm and inviting, and it immediately helped Ken relax.
There were so many things he wanted to say, but with all of his fears melting away in Daisuke's arms, it was hard to stay focused on it. Never before had Daisuke been there to help him when he'd had a nightmare of their past like this… It was something he'd always wanted dearly. Being all alone to deal with it left him emotional for hours almost every time. But this time around, he could already feel his muscles relaxing and his heart calming…
"Dai?" Ken asked sleepily, his voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.
"Hmm?" Daisuke hummed, sounding just as tired.
"I love you," Ken whispered, still a bit out of it from his dream, but nevertheless feeling more confident.
Daisuke took in a shaky breath and his grip around Ken's body tightened. His arms were quivering and he seemed to be struggling to breathe. He choked back on what seemed to be a sob, and immediately Ken felt guilty. He looked up at him with the intention of asking if he'd said that too soon, fearing that the other boy may not have been ready to hear it, but his thoughts were cut short as soon as Daisuke pressed his lips against his.
At first Ken froze. He hadn't been expecting that reaction at all, but he quickly recovered. He felt a comforting warmth spread all throughout his body as one of Daisuke's hands moved up into his hair. There were goose bumps all over his arms, and he relaxed into his friend's embrace. He really had no idea what he was supposed to do in this sort of situation. He'd only experienced it once, and it was at a very different time in his life, so he settled on letting his friend take the lead.
Daisuke's grip was tight as he moved his lips more firmly against his. As soon as Ken began kissing him back, the other boy shivered and took in another uneasy breath. He whimpered in the back of his throat, though it was quiet enough that Ken barely heard it. Daisuke was shaking all over for some reason.
Feeling a bit braver now, Ken moved his hand up so that he could rest it against Daisuke's hip. His head was spinning and his heart felt like it was melting away. He slid his other hand up to press against Daisuke's chest, and he found that the other boy's heart was racing just as quickly as his own.
Daisuke began kissing him more firmly in response, moving his body so that he was hovering over him just a bit. It was Ken's turn to whimper as all of Daisuke's strong emotions began seeping into him. There was a part of him that was scared and wanted to back away, Daisuke's emotions burning so severely that it was almost intimidating. It had been so long since he'd really experienced how intense Daisuke could get, but Ken couldn't deny the part of himself that loved it. He felt drunk in it, and he could hardly think anymore. If it were anyone else, he surely would have run away.
Suddenly Daisuke pulled away as another sob struck him. He covered his face with his hands as he took in a shaky gasp.
"Daisuke?" Ken asked as his head spun a bit from the sudden change.
"S-Sorry…" Daisuke quickly wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry… I just… I just never thought I'd… I'd ever hear you say that again…"
Ken smiled and let out a relieved sigh, thankful that he hadn't done anything wrong. Before Daisuke could say anything else, Ken quickly snuggled into the other boy's arms like they had done before. Daisuke held him back as more shaky sobs forced their way out of his throat.
"Let it out," Ken urged his friend. If there was one thing he knew about Daisuke, it was that bottling up his emotions was one of the worst things he could do to himself. It only made his feelings more intense, as seemed to be the case currently. Thankfully though, no more than a second or two later, Daisuke was crying into the pillow. Ken rubbed his back softly, trying his best to comfort him in the dark room. It was really all he could do.
Hearing Daisuke cry so hard was painful for Ken, but he knew it was the best thing for him. It got a lot worse at first too, but soon enough he did seem a lot better. Eventually the crying stopped, and without another word, Daisuke kissed the top of Ken's head. He wrapped his arms tightly around him and seemed to finally calm down. He relaxed into Ken, who was happy to have finally done something right without adding to the awkwardness somehow.
Ken gave a contented sigh as sleep started to overtake him once again. In the back of his mind he was still a bit nervous about the next day, especially after how emotional things had just gotten between them. Somehow he knew it would all be alright though. It always was, and now this time when he woke up he wouldn't be alone. They'd figure everything out, one step at a time.
Final Note: It's so weird to actually be done with this story... I've had the shadow of this unfinished project cast over me for literally ten years now! Crazy… Anyway, I have every intention of writing more for this pairing. Right before I started this fic, I had to choose between it and one other Daiken story idea that I had. Obviously I chose this one, but the other one has never stopped nagging me. I think I'll start working on it again! But until then, thank you so much for reading this! It means the world to finally finish it, and to finish it the way I wanted to from the very beginning.
And I actually really want to write out how their date goes now, goddamn it… If I do, I won't be posting it as a new chapter to this fic though. I've always wanted to write a Daiken story that's just a bunch of one-shot ficlets of these two dealing with life and love. If I do, it'll be written in a way that it's not an explicit sequel to this, but it easily could be. No idea what I'll call it, but I guess keep a look out for it. Until next time, cheers!