Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
What Happens in Bellwood... – Chapter 43
Originally Written: Wednesday June 29, 2016 951PM to Friday July 1, 2016 412PM
. . . . .
A/N: I apologize for the interruption, but this is too important for me to ignore or push off to the side. I put this in my profile last week, but it bears repeating or something. If you know anyone who has any form of disability or mental illness, trust your gut when communicating with their social workers and/or caretakers and/or doctors. Do not let the social worker/caretaker/doctor brush off any medical complaints or concerns the individual has as a symptom of their mental illness or let them say it's them acting out or being silly. Light a fire under their asses and keep it there as long as you need to. Better safe than sorry. Always.
Thank you.
. . . . .
"Geeze, mom." Jenrya laughed. "You didn't have to make all this food."
Jenrya and Mrs. Mayumi Wong shuffled about the kitchen placing various shaped containers full of warm food on the stove and table. Lopmon and Terriermon stood in a corner, conversing with themselves. Albedo looked down at the table in response to Mayumi hugging Jenrya tightly.
"This is nothing, my sweet baby."
He looked around them as Jenrya sighed and laughed. He wondered if Mayumi made any of those sandwiches she made so well.
Swamps made a loud 'Swoosh!' from his place in the living room.
"No way!" Rinchei shouted.
Suzie laughed loudly.
"When I heard those frog aliens held everyone in Hypnos..." Mayumi squeezed Jenrya even tighter. "Oh I feared for you and your father. The least I could do is make some comfort food from home."
"Aww, mom!" Jenrya laughed, returning the hug. "We're all okay."
Albedo stood quiet. He wondered how anyone was comfortable with so many people in such a small apartment. He suddenly felt warm arms around him.
"And thank you, Albedo." Mayumi spoke, sniffling against him.
He blinked in response. Behind her, Jenrya made a hugging motion. He copied Jenrya, pleased when he smiled at him.
"My son or my husband wouldn't be as safe as they are now, if it wasn't for you." She squeezed him tightly.
"It was a simple matter of strategic planning. Anyone could have done it."
She pulled away from him and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"It would not have gone as smoothly if someone else planned it, but anyone else could have planned a retaliatory attack." He smirked as Jenrya groaned and muttered about 'Learning Modesty.'
"Well, you take a nice long rest, young man." She gushed, "You've earned it."
Albedo nodded, ducking his head ever so slightly.
"Yay!" Suzie cheered from the living room. Fridge and Hugh laughed. Terriermon and Lopmon continued conversing without a care to anything occurring around them.
"You guys are nuts." Jaarin said. Rinchei agreed.
Mayumi looked at him for some time. He tilted his head. Suddenly, she hugged him again. She let go and moved back to helping Jenrya sort out the feast she somehow had enough resources to make, despite the just ended Invasion. He was more efficient than she'd ever be, but he still had to admit he was impressed.
He looked at Swamps' bonsai sitting in the corner. It carried on growing, looking a vibrant green as ever. He made a note to remind Swamps to water it. He could probably tell already, but the Methanosian space case would more than likely forget to do it. It would keep growing, thanks to his abilities, but it would annoy everyone, mainly Fridge and Terriermon that the plant continued to grow even when neglected.
Someone poked his side. He shifted away in reflex. He looked at Suzie.
She looked at him, eyes shining in mirth. "Mom made those sandwiches you like." She folded her arms behind her back and shifted her body, twisting side to side.
He placed his hands in his pants pockets. Mentally he performed a clumsy jig everyone would probably laugh at him for.
He looked at Mayumi and Jenrya still sorting food. No one would need to cook for at least a week. Just how much did she make anyway? Had she attempted cooking for a party only she knew about? Jenrya had said she insisted on coming to see him with his family, but Albedo knew for certain that a visit wasn't a party.
He looked in the living room, aware of Suzie looking at him. Swamps excitedly told Rinchei and Jaarin a long winded, exaggerated version of the events of the Invasion. Rinchei's wide eyes and Jaarin's comfortable position leaning towards Swamps as she sat on the table said they were interested, but he couldn't be sure.
He shrugged his shoulders and placed a hand on Suzie's head for a short moment. He walked out the kitchen and through the living room. He slipped out the apartment, Terriermon, Lopmon and Suzie trailing behind him. He quietly closed the door behind him. He pulled down his t-shirt fixing its hem. He walked down the hall. His shadows followed him for a short while. Soon only Suzie remained.
He took a seat at the top of a flight of stairs. Suzie sat next to him. He watched her take out a rectangular package. She scratched her shoulder, and took out a stick of gum. He felt himself relax.
"You're such a butt." She spoke. She held out the green pack of gum to him.
"No thank you."
She shrugged her shoulders and slipped the pack back into her hoodie pocket. "You left and didn't tell anyone. And you didn't stay in contact with anyone either."
"Jenrya, Ryo and Jeri would have a different response. I assure you." He smirked.
"And," Suzie said loudly and dramatically, "You didn't stay in contact with anyone, ya butt." She shoved him lightly.
He chuckled, shaking his head, "I apologize."
"Bootyface," she smiled at him. "You were here all this time and didn't say anything."
"Well, you didn't ask about me." He held in a yawn as he gave her a look.
"The answer of wrongdoers!" She pointed at him.
He snorted. He had forgotten how silly her responses could be. A female, somehow less annoying, version of Kazu. "A wrongdoer, hm?"
"Naturally." She nodded sagaciously.
He snorted again. "Have you put those cigarettes down yet?" He folded his arms.
She blinked at him.
He smirked, raising his head a bit and shifting his posture to give the appearance of looking down on her.
She folded her arms, resting them on her thighs as she leaned over, "You changed the subject on me."
"Adults can do that."
"You can't be an adult; you're younger than Henry."
He held in a laugh. He wondered if anyone would believe if he had said he was a couple hundred years old. He severely doubted they would, unless they were an alien as well. He settled for giving her another judging look.
She pulled out multiple packs from her hoodie pocket. Albedo counted six of the things. Watermelon, spearmint. Wasabi? What kind of gum flavor was that? A sizable container of generic gum in a package that reminded him of measuring tape. Lemonade and Albedo picked up the rectangular package, cinnamon.
"You're not using this as a replacement for brushing your teeth are you?" He examined the burnt red package, debating or whether to be amused or disturbed as he raised the package to eye level.
She set the packets out around her. "What do you take me for?" She frowned.
Albedo set the package down, "Don't replace one bad habit for another."
She folded her arms over her thighs, "But it's so hard." She shook her head, "Everything was crazy. Worse than Davis, Ken and other Digidestined trying to save those kids from Oikawa-Myotismon."
"Hm?" He picked up another package. This one was a bright and gaudy yellow color that reminded him of one of Jeri's dresses.
"Mom freaked out the entire time those frog people were here. She drove everyone nuts."
"I hear parents worrying is the thing they do." He put the yellow package down, and picked up a light green one. He wondered just enough to say he entertained the thought, if this Wasabi gum actually had any real flavor to it.
"Not like how mom did it. Those frog people made it mandatory to go to school to learn their weird things. She tried to keep me from going. Telling her not going would get me or everyone else hurt didn't help anything."
Albedo nodded. Sometimes adults thought the oddest solutions to problems and concerns, human or alien.
"I think I spent more time wandering around the apartment wishing for a cigarette than anything else." She scratched her head as she ducked her head low as though trying to disappear into her hoodie.
"Do not start again." He shifted so he knelt on a few stairs lower than where she sat. He looked up at her, red eyes piercing.
She looked down at him and nodded, "I won't."
He looked at her for a long time.
"I'll be okay. I promise." She straightened her back and folded her arms.
He moved back to his original seat.
"My martial arts sensei knows. He's been really supportive." She nodded a few times in quick succession.
He laid back on the floor, folding his arms behind his head. He looked at the ceiling tiles accompanied by the background music of Suzie's chewing. At least he had a reason for why people ate gum. Personally he'd rather have a cream puff from the Matsuki bakery. Though if he had them as much as Suzie was consuming gum, he'd be way worse off than everyone thought he was now.
"Albedo?" Suzie spoke in a soft voice.
"Hm?" he closed his eyes.
"Are you back for good now?" She sighed as he opened his eyes in surprise. "Things are better when you're around."
He held in a scoff. She must be suffering from temporary amnesia. He nearly killed her brother, yet she would say such a thing. He couldn't find a response for her. Not for a moment did he think she'd take news of him being an escaped convict well.
She looked down at him. "Silence means no." She pouted.
"I was once told silence means yes." He quickly responded, not quite sure why. He had no intention of going into Plumber custody, but even that conclusion far from guaranteed a positive response to her query. He was tempted to ask her what prompted her to say such things. She hadn't known him as long as the others, and he certainly didn't think they were that close.
He partially listened to her sudden, soft spoken rambling. From school to home, to her thoughts on finding out her martial arts teacher once played psychiatrist for her older brother.
"Am I following in his footsteps?"
"Don't be foolish." He scoffed. "You have your own path to follow. As a sibling I would assume it impossible to never see Jenrya's. Swamps would say, in a quite eloquent fashion I would add, 'Fuck the path.'."
He couldn't recall if she ever laughed much around him previously, but personally he'd rather hear laughter coming from her than see all that smoke.
