Notes: For demonoflight. She wanted Iori, so here's Iori! And Upamon! And the others! I know this comes in way too late (me? forget? you thought!) but I've always struggled with Iori. I hope I managed to do him justice. Let me know what you think!

Expectations

Iori needed to finish his homework, but his eyes kept darting toward his phone.

It shouldn't bother him. At first, he heard of Ken and Daisuke's plans ("world domination" as Daisuke called them) before they happened, but this was the first time they traveled to a foreign city without making it known first. He didn't even recognize the grandiose building in the background of the picture Daisuke had sent to their group chat. It was European, for sure, but not something he could place.

Miyako quickly answered - three heart-eyes emoji, and nothing more. Iori was so used to her expressing out loud what he was feeling deep inside, that he was put off by her approval. It was easy for her, he supposed, to be so happy for them both when she was also out there having her fun. They'd been best friends since childhood, and he had no doubt he missed her more than she missed him. It was always easier for the one that left.

"What's the matter?"

Upamon was looking up at him. Iori was often told he was hard to read, but the thing about having a Digimon partner was that one could keep no secrets.

It was liberating.

"Ken and Daisuke went on another trip," he explained, "and I wish I could be there."

"Why don't you tell them?"

He smiled in spite of himself.

"It's not that simple. I can't invite myself over. They would have invited me if they wanted me there."

Upamon seemed to think for a moment.

"Perhaps since you're so busy, they don't want to bother you…"

Well, that was a word he'd overused lately. Busy. Go to school, go to kendo practice, sleep, repeat. Even his social life had blended into his routine, one of duty and responsibility without deviating from expectations that had been set as boundaries by none other than himself.

No one else expected him to be this dedicated. It was all his own doing… and sure, he was busy, but he was also restless. Was this always going to be his life?

His phone vibrated. It was Miyako again, telling the other two that if they were still in Vienna, she could be there in ten minutes. Ken answered that yes, they were still there, and she was more than welcome to come.

And Iori… Iori really needed to finish his homework, so that's what he did. Or he tried. Because the next time he received a message, he couldn't help but look. It was the three of them, in front of a different landmark.

And then, he got a voice note. It could only be for him, so he played it.

"Iori!" it was Daisuke, "why don't you join us?"

"I miss you so much!" Miyako was clearly smiling over the phone. "I hope you're doing well in your exams!"

"Don't forget to get up and breathe every once in a while," Ken reminded him.

"Yeah, we don't see you anymore! It's almost like you left for an exchange too!"

"Don't make me go back from Spain and drag you out!"

"Anyway, before my message was hijacked…" Iori could almost feel the cutting glare Daisuke gave the other two. "Join me in my quest for world domination! Can you come over now? I'll send you the coordinates."

The message ended there. Iori couldn't remember the last time his grin had been this easy, and Upamon… well, Upamon didn't have much of an I-told-you-so look, but this is the closest he'd ever come.

He started to write, but the distance suddenly felt too great. So he pressed the record button instead.

"Thanks guys! I wish I could be there, but I have a pile of homework to finish. If you-" He shook his head. "If we plan next time in advance, then I can come too!"

Iori stared at the phone for a second after sending that message. Their answers were immediate, so he couldn't even follow who was saying what ( "Yes!" "Can't wait!" "You're going to love this!" "First serving is on me!" "You get to pick the destination!" "I'll get you alcohol!"...)

He put his phone down, his heart full. One thing was certain - this was a much happier expectation he could set for himself.