As Komodo's body began to come awake from sleep, she realized something felt off. She was laying against something warm that was not the material of the couch. The fingertips of one hand grazed against skin that was not her own.
The young woman squeaked in surprise and snapped open her eyes. She was greeted with the sight of a portion of the Viral's chest in her line of vision, the rest was the angle of the coffee table. It took her a few moments of looking around to realize that she was resting against the Viral's side, one of his arms draped about her, though not touching. He had slumped himself down on the couch, using the coffee table to keep his legs straight and the couch arm to prop his elbow on.
What did he do to me? Or...what did I do? I don't remember... She was brought from her thoughts when she felt the Viral shift.
"Mm...mornin'." the normally gruff voice, thickened from sleep, mumbled.
"M-morning..."
"Hm?"
"Uhm..." Komodo tried her best to pull her arms against her body, wanting to be tucked in away from Beelzebumon as much as possible.
"What'cha movin' away fer? Yer the one came over 'ere last night."
"I...I don't remember."
"Guess ya had a nightmare 'er somethin'. Ya were makin' a little bit of a ruckus. Wasn't sure what ta do with ya. Didn't have ta, apparently. Ya managed ta squirm yerself over ta me. I just let ya stay there since ya calmed down afterwards."
"Oh. I...I don't know why I'd do that. I'm sorry if I bothered you."
"Eh. It didn't bother me none. I suppose it was brought 'bout by what we talked 'bout last night."
Komodo dropped her head slightly, averting her eyes. "It might."
"I figured. Sorry 'bout tellin' ya. It really wasn't a problem. Doesn't hurt 'er nothin'. I'd rather have it than had ya hurt."
Komodo inclined her head slightly.
Beelzebumon groaned as he pulled himself up to a sitting position. "Damn, dunna why I slept that way. Cramped myself."
Komodo looked away as the Viral got to his feet and stretched out his back. She grimaced when she heard the reverberating sounds of bones cracking and shifting as the Digimon's spine was pushed back into place.
"Much better."
Komodo looked up when she heard his footsteps heading towards the hallway. "Are you going to change?"
"Well yeh. Gonna shower first," He gave her a bemused smirk over his shoulder before continuing: "Why ya ask?"
Komodo felt her entire face grow warm with embarrassment. "I-I just wanted to know how long you were going to take, so I could change...nothing else."
"Should be 'bout twenty minutes or less. Ya should get cleaned up, too."
"O-oh, um...I hadn't thought of that."
"Just sayin' is all, didn't mean ta offend ya. So if we go out ya won't have ta worry 'bout it."
"Go out where?"
"Ah, that's not somethin' I'ma tell ya."
"But why?"
"Have ta wait." He disappeared from view before she could ask any more questions.
"Could I at least have some idea where we're going?" Komodo asked for the fourth time since they set out.
The pair were walking along a street-way filled with small suburban homes. They had been following it for nearly an hour.
"Will ya just wait fer a bit longer?"
"I suppose...I don't really like not knowing where I'm going."
"Ya will with this, I promise ya."
"But I'm so tired."
"Just a couple'a blocks left."
Komodo's head drooped. Her knees and thighs screamed their disapproval though she remained silent.
"Ya really that tired, guess I could carry ya."
"O-oh, no! It's fine..."
"I'm the one draggin' ya out 'ere." He knelt down to one knee, resting his fingertips against the ground to brace himself.
Komodo blinked in surprise. "Uhm."
"Get on, already."
The young woman hesitantly walked up to him. Feeling rather uneasy she stopped right behind him.
Beelzebumon looked at her over his shoulder. "Just put yer arms 'round my neck, I'll hold onta yer legs."
She slid her arms around the white fuzzy collar of his jacket, clasping her left wrist in her free hand against the top of his sternum. She squeaked when she was lifted up from the ground, slowly and carefully.
The Viral slipped his arms up under her upper legs, pressing them against his sides to better support them. He tucked his thumbs in the belts about his waist. "Doin' all right?"
"U-uh-huh..."
"Yer fibbin' again. I can feel yer heart 'gainst my back."
Komodo's face flushed darkly. She was glad he was not able to see it at this moment. "I'm not used to any kind of...you know."
"Contact? Ya ain't even touchin' anythin', 'cept leather. 'Sides, I carried ya home that one day. And what of all other times, eh?"
"I-I know. Just...never mind, forget I said anything." She felt his back rumble against her chest as he chuckled. Why is he laughing? ...he could never understand.
"Ya worry too much. Yer safe with me, ya know? I ain't gonna hurt ya. Sure as 'ell ain't gonna let any creeps bother ya again."
"Thanks..."
"Eh, it's just how I am. If yer ready, we'll head on ta the destination."
"Okay."
"And try not ta breathe in my ear."
Komodo quickly pulled her head away from the collar of his jacket. "I-I'm sorry, was I?"
"Nah, just warnin' ya."
"Oh." She settled her chin on the outermost part of the collar.
What the Viral had deemed a short distance turned out to be another hour of walking.
Komodo was grateful Beelzebumon had insisted on carrying her the rest of the way; her legs ached still from the earlier walk.
"We're here."
"Hm?" Komodo blinked sleepily. She had not realized she had dozed off.
She looked at the house that the Viral had stopped in front of.
It looked almost identical to the other homes around it except for the toys strewn in front of the yard and on the front porch, which also bore a darkly stained wooden porch swing. A large motorcycle was parked in the driveway.
"Where are-?"
The garage door suddenly slid upwards with a reverberating groan.
Nicholas, dressed in a tattered t-shirt and jeans, was revealed with his usual grin. "Well, look who it is!"
"'Ey, Nic. Ya ain't busy, are ya?"
"Not at all! The kids are at school right now so I was going to tune up the 'ol gal here." Nicholas patted the seat of his motorcycle affectionately.
"Ah, where's Irene at?"
"She went out shoppin' with her girlfriends. Should be back around the time the kids get home."
"How long 'til that is?"
"Oh, I'd say about..." He looked down at the watch located on his left wrist. "Less than an hour."
"Urg. Was hopin' we'd miss 'em."
Nicholas burst into laughter, holding onto his sides. "You say that every time!"
"Feh."
"Uhm," Komodo started. "Beelzebumon, are you going to put me down?"
"Wha? Oh! Yeh, sorry 'bout that."
Beelzebumon sunk down until Komodo was able to plant her feet firmly on the ground.
She released her hold of his neck and took several steps back from him. "Thank you."
"No problem." he said as he straightened back to his full height.
"I'm sorry I hadn't come to visit you guys yet, Irene's been making up family activities for us all to do together."
"Oh joy. Sounds like ya've been havin' a hoot with that, eh?"
"Well actually yes, I have. She's a smart gal and knows her family well. So it's not one of those activity days where everyone's miserable."
"That's good ta hear. I know she's a smart gal, wasn't tryin' ta say otherwise. Ya know how I feel 'bout yer 'ellions."
"Haha. I know for a fact you adore those kids."
"Psh!" Beelzebumon waved a hand dismissively. "They're little 'ellions, is all I'm sayin'."
"Besides, if you planned on staying awhile, it was bound to happen."
Beelzebumon merely rolled his eyes in response.
"So how are you doing, Ms. Komodo?"
Komodo looked to Nicholas, taken by surprise. "Wha-? Uhm. I'm all right."
"This big lout takin' care of you?"
"'Course I am! And I ain't a lout."
Nicholas gave Komodo one of his playful winks. "'Course he is."
Komodo smiled lightly. The banter between the two always seemed to put her in a better mood.
"I ain't! Yer sucha liar, always tryin' ta make me look bad."
"Oh, you do a fair good job of that on your own, bud," Nicholas laughed. "So did you wanna lend a hand with fixin' 'er up?"
Beelzebumon jammed his thumbs in the belt about his waist. "Sure."
"Great! You can put your jacket in the shop if you want."
"Yep."
Komodo watched the Viral make his way towards the garage, fiddling with the guard on his right arm. "So, what would you like for me to do?" she asked, turning her head towards Nicholas, though she kept Beelzebumon in the corner of her vision.
"Do? Oh! Ah...I don't figure you know anything about motorcycles."
Komodo shook her head.
Nicholas tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I also wouldn't figure you want to sit and watch a couple grease dogs tune up a bike either."
"I'd just like to help if I can be of any assistance."
"Oh, darlin', you don't have to one bit."
Beelzebumon spoke up from his position next to a table filled with tools, busily removing his metal-clad gloves. "We can handle it just fine. No reason fer ya ta have'ta worry 'bout helpin'."
Komodo was rather taken aback by their refusal. "O-okay..."
"Don't look so sad, Komodo. Not even Irene helps out and she's just as nuts about motorcycles as I am. She normally brews us up somethin' to drink, otherwise she keeps me company."
Komodo bit back a sigh, nodding instead.
"Don't you worry your little head, none. The kids and Irene will be back before you know it, then you can help entertain my young 'uns. They love new people."
"That sounds lovely." Komodo forced a smile. The thought of actually dealing with people in a family-type setting stirred a small amount of anxiety within her.
"The porch swing's got a thick cushion on it, so it's pretty comfortable, if you wanted to seat yourself on it. Or you're welcome to roam around the house some. Just have to warn ya, it's full to the brim with all sorts of toys. With Cecilia and Nadali, it's difficult to keep things clean."
Komodo settled herself down on the porch swing, taken by surprise at how comfortable the cushion was. "Those are lovely names. Do they belong to your children?"
"Yes, they do."
"So, is it pronounced 'Na-ta-lee' or...?"
"Sounds like it, but it's actually 'Na-da-lee'. We thought we'd be a little different and spell her name with a 'd' and an 'i' rather than 't' and 'i-e.'"
"Oh, that is so unique!"
"And not in the bad way, either. Haha. You wouldn't believe the names some of the kids at their school have."
Komodo dropped her eyes to stare at the boards of the porch, tears stinging at the corner of her eyes. "I know..."
Nicholas blinked for a moment, seemingly confused by her reaction. Then his eyes went wide and he held his hands up. "I didn't mean anything about you, lovie! Honestly."
Beelzebumon shot Nichols a glare. "Good goin', Nic, ya moron. Now ya upset 'er."
"I swear, I completely didn't think about that."
"So cold-'earted."
It took the young woman a few moments to re-collect herself. She gave the pair a wavering smile. "Please don't fuss him too much, Bee. I shouldn't be so sensitive about that kind of thing. I've had it all my life and will take it to my grave."
"You have my most humble apologies, still. I was going for a joke."
"It's quite all right, truly," Komodo dabbed at the corner of one eye with her forefinger knuckle. "What was the joke?"
Nicholas rubbed the back of his head. "Er. Was mainly just gonna say how there's kids with their first names like 'Princess' or 'Blade' or somethin' of the like. Or the first name is somethin' to go along with the middle or last. Suppose parents didn't think twice about how the kids would feel 'bout it."
"Kids will come up with anything to tease someone if they really want to."
"That's why I've been raising my young'uns to be flexible in given situations and not be affected by any silly name-calling. Now if it's physical, the pair of them are more than capable of hit and run tactics if needed."
"That's what makes 'em lil 'ellions. They can sweet-talk ya inta 'bout anythin'. And I can't ever catch the bratlin's either."
"It's quite amusing. Time to get to work! I want at least some of the tunin' done before the kids get home."
"Yeh, yeh."
Komodo watched the pair with quiet fascination, rocking the swing back and forth with her toes.
The pair worked well together, Beelzebumon fetched the tools and assisted with keeping the motorcycle clean throughout the tuning process.
It was not long before a dark grey van pulled up along to the curb, just behind the driveway.
"Oh, drat. They're already here." Nicholas said as he straightened himself up.
The door of the van was flung open and a young girl of around eight, dressed in capris and t-shirt, hopped out. "Daddy, Daddy!"
"Wait for me!" Another girl, slightly younger than the first, came scrambling out after her sister, dressed in a similar fashion.
Both girls wore their hair up in ponytails, the eldest had deep chocolate brown hair while the youngest had a honey-ed blonde color.
"Look, it's Mr. Bee!"
"And a strange lady!"
"Strange lady?" A woman dressed in a beautifully embroidered sea blue sun dress appeared from around the front of the van. She smiled warmly. "Ah, I see."
Komodo felt unnerved under the woman's curious gaze; more unnerved with how beautiful the woman was. Her hair was a deep black with blue highlights, tastefully stacked so that the ends draped along her jawline and her face was accentuated by a light amount of make-up.
"So, Bee. I'm assuming this is a friend of yours? Why don't you introduce her?"
"Eh? This is Komodo."
"Oh, so you're the youngling Nicholas told me of before, it's nice to meet you."
Komodo fiddled her fingers nervously. "It's um…nice to meet you, too."
"She's quite shy, isn't she? That won't last long here."
The young woman was startled by the two children as they rushed up to have a closer look at her.
"Hi!" the pair chirped together.
"Hello." Komodo mumbled.
"You're too quiet!"
"Yeah!"
"Cec, Li! Leave the poor thing alone. She's not as sociable as you all are." Nicholas chided as he came up to them, taking each in an arm.
"Sorry, Daddy."
Komodo sighed inwardly with relief. She watched Nicholas as he carried the pair of girls around. The youngest had clamored out of her father's arm in an attempt to get on his shoulder.
"Oh, Bee, darling, do you think you could lend me some assistance?"
Komodo turned her attention to Beelzebumon, who had a slightly puzzled expression on his face.
"Eh? Sure, Irene."
Irene pulled two plastic bags full of items from the back of the van and held them out to the Viral. "Thank you, darling. You know the routine: Nic distracts the children while I take in the groceries. Today they're just a bit heavy."
Beelzebumon took one in each hand. "Not a problem. What all ya get?"
"Oh, a bit of this and that. Paper plates, some baking chocolates, things for dinner."
"Chocolate!" one of the girls cried, having overheard her mother.
"Baking chocolate," Irene pointed out, wagging a finger at her daughters. "It doesn't taste nice by itself."
"Aww..."
"But we'll make something yummy out of it later."
"Yay!"
Beelzebumon held out his arms as Irene pulled out more bags.
Komodo felt she should at the very least offer some assistance, but her nervousness got the better of her and she remained silent. She watched as Irene hooked the remaining bags onto either of the Viral's arms, marveling at how many he was able to carry.
By the end of it, the Viral was sporting six bags on either arm and three per hand.
"Why do I feel like one of those eh...bag holders at the store? 'Cept these 'er full."
Irene and Nicholas laughed simultaneously.
"He's right about that one, Reny. Why did you get so much?"
"Oh, I just kept remember things we didn't have at home. Then there were things on sale I just couldn't pass up. You know it's a good deal when you can buy all the ingredients for a decent sized meatloaf and sides for under $30."
Nicholas gave a low whistle. "Really? Even for your sized meatloaf?"
"Yes." Irene smiled broadly.
"Hot da…er. Great!"
"Ooh, Daddy almost said a bad word!"
"Yeah, bad word!" Nadali echoed.
"Tryin' to get your old man in trouble, eh?" Nicholas gave a low growl as he set about using his fingertips to tickle any places he could reach.
Both girls screamed and squirmed.
Komodo watched the scene with a small, forced smile.
"Komodo, darling. Would you care to help put things away?"
"Huh?" Komodo turned her head towards the voice to see Irene was standing in front of the door. "Oh."
"C'mon, kiddo. These things 'er heavy. May be a Mega, doesn't make this holdin' bags full'a stuff any easier."
The young woman got to her feet and carefully walked behind the Viral. She peeked in through the front doorway to survey the interior of the home. The living room was immediately through the front door. Furnished with a large burgundy chair just under the windows beside the door and a matching couch against the opposite wall. An entertainment system with a flat-screen resting atop it was positioned between the two windows on the left side.
Stepping through the doorway gave Komodo a view of the kitchen island off to her right, as there was a connecting space between the living room and kitchen.
Irene pushed aside toys with the sides of her feet as she made her way through the living room, creating a pathway for the other two to the kitchen. "I am so sorry for the mess. The girls just love to leave their toys everywhere."
"Ah, 'Rene. Y'know I don't give a damn 'bout how the place looks."
"Tut, language, Bee."
Beelzebumon snorted. "Nyeh."
Komodo giggled silently at his reaction.
"Yeh, yeh. Y'know I don't care 'bout how yer place looks. Better?"
"Hehe. Yes. And I was mainly apologizing to our new guest. I assure you, Ms. Komodo, it isn't normally quite this messy."
"That's a down-right fib, right there. It never looks much different when I'm 'ere."
"As if you ever pay attention to what toys are where." Irene teased as she took two bags from Beelzebumon's hand to set them on the large oaken dining table positioned in the low nook of the room.
Komodo was only partially focused on the remainder of the conversation as she set to the task of removing the contents of the plastic bags.
"...a little pantry for the non-perishables. Komodo, sweetie, did you hear me?"
"Huh?" She brought her eyes up from the can in her hand to rest on the older woman beside her.
"I was just explaining where everything went."
"Oh."
"Did you get it all?"
Too embarrassed to admit to having only heard the last part, Komodo nodded.
"Ah, good! If there's no room in the designated area, just let me know. That happens rather often."
Before Komodo had a chance to do or say anything, Irene hurried from the room. She turned her attention to the Digimon, who was balling up several of the plastic bags. "Where did she go?"
"Ya didn't 'ear 'er? She went ta fetch the kiddies from Nic."
"Oh."
"Ya really spaced out there fer a bit. Irene was babblin' away at ya fer a few and ya didn't even react ta 'er."
"Really?!" Komodo asked, appalled she had neglected the kind older woman by accident.
"Mhm. But it's fine, she likes talkin' just ta talk. She didn't even notice."
"I feel so awful. I was taking things out of the bags. I just uhm…"
"Not hard ta get distracted 'round 'ere. Ya need ta learn ta stop frettin' so much, Komodo. Ya get grey hairs that way."
The young woman gave a small smile at the comment. "I'll try to remember that."