Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 01: Heroes and Humanity
Chapter 60
Originally Written: Wednesday March 5, 2014 1218AM to 324AM
…..
Jeri slumped on the couch next to Albedo. She handed him a glass of saki. She routinely emptied and replaced the bottles she kept in her fridge. Always the same brand as what she drank those weeks back.
Albedo stared at it.
"You look like you could use something."
He kept staring at it.
"I won't let you get drunk, I promise."
He took a sip. It burned down his throat, bitter and cool. He blinked a few times.
Jeri handed the bottle to Kazu and Kenta, who sat on the floor in front of the couch. A small purple and white digimon sat on Jeri's lap, drinking what Albedo hoped was not saki. He took another sip of the drink, larger than his previous sip.
"Feels like a cold bitter hugging monster, eating me from the inside." Kazu commented, after taking a large swig. "You and your saki, girl."
The small digimon snuck a peek at Albedo. He looked at it, and it quickly looked away, large, bright green eyes staring at the random children's show on the television.
Various sized boxes, only a few of them, sat in the corner of the apartment. Kenta sent the Saki bottle on the floor. "I'm just glad we're done."
"It wasn't that much stuff." Kazu looked up at Albedo. "You pack light, dude."
Albedo downed half his glass easily. The burn oddly comforted him. "I am used to living light."
"And out of storage facilities." Jeri giggled.
The small digimon looked up at her.
"You should see his locker." She clasped her hands together around her glass. "So neat and organized."
The small digimon handed Kazu his kiddie cup, and puffed out his ears. He floated on over to Albedo, landing on his head. Albedo paid him no mind. The Digimon continued on with a happy, "Wee!" floating through the air, over to a large rusty brown metal digimon and small pink winged digimon that kept patting the large Digimon like a drum.
"Looks like fun!" The small white Digimon giggled.
"Phoo!" The pink one replied with a bright grin.
The group looked back at the trio. Kazu laughed, "Starting a band, MarineAngemon, Calumon?"
"Phoo! Phoo!" The small pink Digimon beamed.
Albedo turned around and finished off his glass. He reached over and picked up the bottle from the ground. He wordlessly obliged when Jeri held out her glass to him.
"I can't believe you already have enough to move into your own apartment." Kenta commented. "I'm impressed."
"It wasn't hard." Albedo handed the bottle to Kazu. Kazu set it back on the floor.
"It's still impressive." Kenta insisted. Albedo shrugged.
"And people think homeless folk aren't hard working!" Kazu held up his glass, "Ha! Take that, stereotypes."
Jeri giggled.
"Dude's got more going for him than any of us."
Albedo opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. 'That is not true. People actually believe in you.' He spat angrily in his head. He returned his focus back to his drink, taking small sips from the glass.
"I'm glad your new apartment isn't far from us." Kenta looked up at him. "Like Ryo's." Kenta shook his head. "I don't know how Ryo gets from there to here so quickly."
Kazu held up a finger. "A Legendary Tamer never reveals his secrets." He nodded sagaciously, "Right Jeri?"
Jeri giggled, "Not unless you've a secret to trade for them." She looked at Albedo, "Right, Al?"
He blinked a few times, "Of course." He looked at her curiously, "Will it be Al from now on?"
"It's growing on me."
"I don't mind."
Kazu laughed, "Calling you 'Al, The Smartest Man We know!' from now on."
"I thought we were using 'Brainiac'?" Kenta asked.
"'Al The Brainiac' works too."
Albedo looked down at them with a partial smile, but not quite a smirk. He dropped the act soon after. Kenta pat his knee a few times. Jeri leaned up against him.
"We're worried 'bout 'im too." Kazu focused on the saki in his glass..
Albedo attempted to down his glass of alcohol so quickly he coughed and sputtered. His throat and lungs burned as he shut his eyes tightly.
"We'll all be fine, dude. Crazy shit like this happens all the time." Kazu continued.
Albedo couldn't think of anything to say.
A heavy hand patted his head gently. "Kazu tells me to be careful." Albedo turned around. The large machine digimon looked down at him. "But I learned to do this without breaking a single human's neck!" The machine spoke brightly. The two smaller digimon laughed.
MarineAngemon blew a pink heart into Albedo's face. "Phoo?" MarineAngemon stared curiously at him. Jeri caught his glass, ignoring the alcohol that spilled on them and the couch.
Albedo buried his head in his arms across the back of the couch. Sobs wracked his frame, and tears burned his face. Someone hugged him, someone else patted his back, and a third being rested on his hand, running their hands through his hair. The deep anger that once settled itself in his stomach seemed to be gone, but it left only loathing and sadness crawling through every fiber of his being as a parting gift.
'This would not have happened if not for him. I wouldn't be here if not for him.' He drowned himself in his tears and thoughts, ignoring anything further the others had to say to him.
A/N: Sometimes, it's hard to follow life as it continues on, when someone you care about is in a bad place.