Ben10 & Digimon Tamers
Heroes and Humanity
Part 02: Humanity and Heroes
The Beginning – Chapter 09
Originally Written: Monday June 1, 2015 1124PM to Tuesday June 2, 2015 1253PM
. . . . .
"Aliens, Henry!" Terriermon lifted his small arms dramatically as he stood upon the small table next to the picture of Albedo and Jenrya.
Albedo sat on the couch, scrolling through instant messages and technology related news articles. He ignored Terriermon completely as he didn't want to be dragged into the Digimon's tirade.
"They're all aliens." The digimon continued. "Spinelli doesn't have a twin sister!"
Albedo held in a snort.
"They're all her!"
"All?" Jenrya replied as he folded jeans, waiting for the kettle to boil. "How'd you go from 'twins' to 'all'?," He didn't even spare Terriermon a look.
"Aliens! Alien clones!" The digimon waved it's arms again.
"I'm sure that's what they think of you every time one of them sees a digimon game commercial and there's multiples of you on the screen."
The small digimon folded it's arms. "I'm not hiding nuthing!" He spoke proudly, "Though technically I'm not an alien."
'The exception to the rule,' Albedo thought dryly.
"Oh stop it." Jenrya walked to his room, carrying a pile of clothes.
"Help me out here!" Terriermon looked at Albedo.
Red eyes focused on him, bored, "Half of the time you can't decide if you like me or not and now you want my assistance?" He looked back down at his D-Terminal while blindly and successfully reaching his thermos sitting on the table.
"Well this isn't a good start for Terriermon approval." The Digimon's eyes innocently looked at him.
"I can't think of anyone's approval that I would want more." Albedo took a gulp of his drink and placed the thermos back on the table.
"You can't use sarcasm on me! Only I use sarcasm on me!" Terriermon pointed at him.
"Off your soapbox prime minister." Jenrya returned to the living room and resumed folding clothes, this time shirts.
"Hmph." Terriermon jumped from the table to the couch. He pressed his paws against Albedo's leg and read his D-Terminal along with him. After a few minutes he blinked in confusion at the article and fell back onto the couch. "My brain." He moaned.
Albedo chuckled, glad for the articles Ryo would download and send to him. They made quick work to distract his mind, giving him something he actually liked to focus on instead of what he didn't. He found himself with moments where the list of things he didn't like was too long for his liking. He couldn't say how he'd go around shortening the list unfortunately.
Jenrya disappeared into the bedroom again, carrying shirts. Terriermon idly tapped his long ears against Albedo's leg. The action somehow served to be both annoying and calming. Albedo tapped the digimon's tiny nose and Terriermon burst into giggles.
"Did you just giggle?"
"I always giggle," he replied quickly, "My nose is a sensitive part of the merchandise."
"I see." Albedo scrolled down the article.
"You two..." Jenrya shook his head, placing some sheets on the table. "Up. Before I forget."
Albedo and Terriermon looked at him for a moment. They both stood and Albedo placed the D-Terminal next to Jenrya's on the table. Albedo mentally groaned both in annoyance and the slightest of relief as Jenrya gave him a knowing look. Almost routine, the duo moved the table off to the side and pulled out the bed hidden in the couch. 'I told those three to stay quiet, and out of sight.'
Terriermon watched, concerned, "You're really going to let them stay here?"
"You know me Terriermon, "Jenrya replied, fluffing up the sheets and smoothing them onto the bed.
Albedo watched him, wondering how Jenrya could still have such levels of trust within him, especially after he had treated him.
"We'll work something out in the morning, but for now, we've got the extra room." He continued. "Besides I know you'll Terrier Tornado them if something goes wrong."
"I'm sure they'll appreciate your generosity." Albedo spoke calmly.
"Generosity? I just want them to stop staring at me from the window." He pointed to it.
Albedo saw no one there currently, but groaned anyway.
"It's really creepy, and I can't whack them upside their heads for it while they're on the terrace." He grinned, "I don't want them falling thirty feet, you know?"
Albedo shook his head, frowning, but amused regardless. If there's one thing Jenrya taught him, it was that he could absolutely tear into someone with the proper motivation. Jenrya looked at him with bright eyes as he walked out the apartment.
He looked at the three of them standing down the hall. "I strictly remember saying not to be embarrassing." He folded his arms as they shrunk underneath his glare. "Now you've just been identified as creeps, possibly perverts. The only reason you guys are getting in is because you're with me." He held an arm out to his side, "I was hoping that introduction would be a bit less... awkward..."
"W-w-we're sorry, Albedo." Hugh stepped forward, "There was that T-Terriermon thing a-and it k-kept following u-us and running off a-and b-being all kinds of a-annoying."
Albedo pinched the bridge of his nose, "He was goading you. It's a basic attempt to judge how dangerous you are, and what you were doing here. He probably tipped Jenrya off to you." Albedo sighed and lowered his head. "Can you not be idiots? Please." His shoulders slumped and felt like the weight of the world sat on his shoulders, making them too heavy for him to keep his back straight.
His hair obscured his eyes as he thought of how easy it would be to send Jenrya back to that odd facility and have Jenrya's friends pummeling him as Tennyson did in his dreams. He could probably easily fend off Jenrya's friends long enough to get away, but under no circumstance did he want to see Jenrya like that again.
What he'd come to recognize as guilt had taken up every fiber of his being, filling him with cold unmoving dread. He realized that Tennyson himself had set off a series of events that put him in such a dark place that he would end up being the trigger that nearly killed a human just caught in the crossfire. A high probability that the only reason Jenrya was alive was due to his own Tennyson sitting inside him, saving it's life and Jenrya's by extension, filled him with a chill that only compounded onto the despair his dreams brought, creating a cold that no amount of warm clothing could fend off.
"We'll behave, Albedo." Fridge nodded firmly
"I can actually pinky swear without burning anyone in this form." Swamps wiggled his human pinky finger.
"I-I'll do everything I can to help!" Hugh spoke up energetically while Fridge glared at Swamps.
Albedo just looked at them, wanting to care, to judge their sincerity, but he found himself so very tired. He trudged back to Jenrya's apartment, feet shuffling as the trio grabbed their bags and followed in silence.
