The giant fox moved to get back on the bed, but the tamer interrupted.
"Hey, no! Not on my bed."
"Well, where would you suggest I sleep? That little nest you put together for Ren is hardly big enough for all my gloriousness."
"You can... uh..."
The tamer stopped to think. Whilst Yuki's argument was most likely just him being selfish, the tamer had to admit the big digimon also had a valid point. Ren's bed was far too small, and even the couch probably wouldn't be big enough.
"...hmph... fine, whatever."
"Thank you for your generosity, Tamer."
The fox settled himself on the bed, once again sprawling out.
The tamer rolled his eyes and shook his head, before turning to walk out.
However, Yuki spoke up before he could get out the door.
"...and where do you think you're going?"
"Uh, to go lie down on the couch? It's been a long... loooong day."
"Not so fast. You still need to seal the deal and show me that you're not afraid."
"Oh, come on. Right now? We already did the whole oath thing."
"Yes now. Besides, you'll be much more comfortable here with me."
The tamer was astonished by what the digimon was suggesting.
"Uh... you want me... on the bed with you?"
"Yes. I can't help it if Ren always wanted to be close with you. You still don't want to share a bed?"
"Are you serious? This morning you wanted to bite my face off and now you want to... snuggle?"
"Did I stutter? Come here."
The tamer reluctantly walked back over to the bed. He felt a bit hesitant about sharing a bed with the digmon that had tried to eat his face earlier that same day. However, if Yuki was doing this because of Ren, he figured he should be ok.
Or at least he hoped he would.
He stood by the bedside, trying to figure out how he could fit in amongst the fox's limbs. Yuki's body took up most of one side of the bed, and his legs and tails covered a good portion of the other. There was a small patch of bed visible between his front and back legs where the tamer thought he could sit, but no room to lie down.
"Uh, I don't think this is gonna work."
"Don't be silly, Tamer. Plenty of room here..."
The fox gestured to his flank with a nod of his head.
"...just lean on me."
"Really?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"Fine. But before I do..."
The digimon stared at him with a bored expression.
"What?"
"Well..."
The tamer pointed to the digimon's flaming paws.
"...how are you not setting the bed on fire?"
The digimon let out a frustrated sigh.
"It's just energy, Tamer. Not actual fire."
The flames faded, leaving the digimon with white paws and tail tips.
"...happy now?"
"Uh, I guess."
"Good. Now sit."
The tamer sat down on the side of the bed, before slowly shuffling backwards til his back was up against the digimon's side. He clutched his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around himself, feeling self-conscious about reclining too far onto his digimon.
"Um, is this... ok? I'm not leaning on you too much like this?"
"You're fine, Tamer. Your weight is nothing. However, you don't look very relaxed. Why don't you stretch out a little?"
"Uh... sure."
He let his arms stretch out across the digimon, one falling on Yuki's mane and the other down his back. He also stretched his legs out, feet hanging off the side of the bed.
"Better now, Tamer?"
"I suppose. It just... feels a bit weird."
He realised the digimon had a smirk on his face.
"...you're enjoying my awkwardness, aren't you?"
"Of course not, Tamer. I want you to be as comfortable as possible."
"Riiight."
"While you're there, how about putting those hands to use?"
"Huh?"
"Pet me."
The tamer couldn't believe what he was hearing, having such a predator asking, or rather, demanding something so affectionate.
"I'm sorry, could you say that again?"
"Honestly, Tamer. Such poor hearing. I said. Pet. Me."
"Jeez, snuggles and petting. Turns out the big bad fox is just a big ol' lapdog."
"Grrr."
Hearing such a beast growling was one thing, but feeling it resonate through the beast as he laid against him was a wholly different experience.
"Uhhh..."
The tamer almost lost his nerve, until he heard Yuki chuckling.
"Heh, heh, heh... your sense of humour is going to get you into trouble one of these days. You know, I
might be willing to let that little jab go... if the petting is satisfactory."
"That... sounds like more blackmail to me."
"Don't be silly, Tamer. I would never do that to you. I'm just helping to guide you on the proper etiquette as a tamer."
"Petting is proper tamer etiquette?"
"I have decided it is now."
"Yeah, good luck convincing all the other tamers of that."
"I'm sure the other partnered digimon will help spread the word. But enough talk. You have a job to do."
The tamer levelled an indignant look at the digimon .
"You know... you could try being just a little less demanding."
"Very well. Get to work... please."
The tamer realised that politeness was going to be a tough ask.
"Well, since you asked so nicely..."
He began to stroke his hand through Yuki's mane. The fur was silky smooth and despite the battle, it had managed to remain tangle-free.
The digimon closed his eyes, trying to savour the feeling. However, after a few strokes he spoke up, turning his head back to his tamer.
"You know you can be a bit firmer, Tamer? I would like to be able to actually feel it."
"Jeez, gimme a sec. I'm just getting a feel for you. You're all new to me, you know?"
"Hmph... I suppose my fur is much more impressive than Ren's meager coat."
"Hey, don't be mean. Ren's fur is perfectly nice."
"Really? You didn't seem to have much interest in it."
"Well... I was just... respecting his personal space."
"Except when you were slapping his butt."
His cheeks turned bright red at the memory.
"Uh... well... you see..."
"He did seem a bit excited by it though..."
The tamer's expression turned pensive as he thought about Ren's reaction to the incident, and how it didn't really suit his usually-reserved demeanour.
"Yeah, I wouldn't have picked that. Maybe from you-
"If you even think about slapping me, I may have to go back on my promise, Tamer."
"Uh... yeaaah, I'll just stick with the petting. But... do you enjoy the attention the way Ren seems to?"
"I'm sure I would if you'd actually get on with it."
"Jeez, sorry."
The tamer got back to his task, switching to massaging around the digimon's shoulders.
Yuki let out a groan at the sensation.
"Mmm... finally."
The tamer slowly worked his hands through Yuki's fur, gradually proceeding up his neck.
Eventually his hands reached up to the strange, black and white ropes. He felt along them curiously, not really sure what they were.
"Hey, Yuki?"
"What?"
"What's with the necklace?"
The digimon came out of his massage-induced reverie and gave the tamer a frustrated stare.
"It's not a necklace, Tamer."
"No? Then... a collar for a leash?"
The tamer gave a smirk at his joke.
The digimon's eyes narrowed at the tamer, before his expression changed to a smirk of his own.
"Hmm... first you go around slapping Ren's butt, and now you want to put me on a leash. Just what kind of kinky tamer are you?"
The tamer's smirk disappeared.
"Uhhh... that's not..."
The digimon gave him a cocky grin in reply.
"Any more smart answers, Tamer?"
He gave the digimon a sullen look.
"No."
"Good. If you must know, these are a type of bell used in rituals."
"What sort of rituals?"
"It depends. Were I a Kyubimon, the rope would be red and white, and the bells would symbolise the bringing of peace or warding off evil."
"Ok, but yours is black and white. Is it different?"
"Yes. I am the opposite of Kyubimon. So mine symbolises the bringing of darkness and destruction."
"Uh... that doesn't sound particularly nice."
"Only if you're on my bad side..."
The digimon gave him a playful look.
The tamer stared back with an alarmed look, before visibly swallowing.
"...just keep up the petting and we won't have any issues, Tamer."
"Um... sure."
He resumed massaging the demanding digimon.
Eventually, he relaxed and started paying a bit more attention to some of Yuki's features.
The digimon's face was similar to Ren's, ignoring the large Yin Yang symbol on his forehead. He also had additional markings under his eyes. However, his ears were pretty much identical.
A cheeky smile formed on the tamer's face. He switched to a kneeling position to sit himself a bit higher and leaned over onto Yuki to reach the back of the digimon's head.
He used his fingertip to lightly brush over the tip of the digimon's ear, using as little pressure as he could manage.
The ear flicked in response.
He gave a smirk and did it again.
Again the ear flicked, but this time the attached head turned to face him, an annoyed look on Yuki's face.
"Amusing yourself, Tamer?"
"I wasn't doing anything. Must've been the wind."
The digimon gave his tamer a scrupulous look, but said nothing.
Then, without warning and before the tamer could react, Yuki suddenly leaned away from him.
With the body that had been supporting him no longer there, the tamer fell forward onto the bed. With a chuckle, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.
"Heh... ok, I guess I deserv-OOF!"
It turned out Yuki wasn't finished repositioning himself. As soon as the tamer had rolled onto his back, the big digimon had moved back, now resting his head and one massive leg across the tamer's chest.
"Ah, that's better."
"Um..."
"Something the matter, Tamer?"
"Nope, everything's great. Can't move, can't breathe... just perfect."
"Good to hear. You know, you make a good pillow."
"Great."
The two laid there, with the tamer mostly unable to move. However, whilst Yuki's leg had trapped one of his arms, the other was still free.
He instinctively reached for the digimon's face, but hesitated when he realised Yuki was watching him carefully.
"...um... please don't bite me."
The digimon let out an irritated sigh.
"I promise I won't bite you, Tamer."
"Ok..."
He reached again, gently caressing the side of Yuki's face.
Yuki leaned into the touch and let out a pleased
groan.
"Mmm... good tamer."
"Uh... that's not really how that works, Yuki."
"Oh... you think you're in charge?"
"Uhhh... well... I'm definitely not your pet."
"And you think I'm yours?"
"I didn't say that. Just... I'm the one petting you."
The digimon shifted, using one massive paw to bop his tamer on the head a few times.
"Good tamer."
The tamer lay there with a grumpy look.
"Very funny."
"I thought so."
He let out a sigh and continued stroking along the digimon's muzzle.
"So, since I'm not going anywhere, can I ask you something?"
"If you must."
"Yeah, I do. How'd you manage to get inside without breaking the door down?"
"That's a secret."
"Come on, tell me."
"Hmm... magic?"
"Don't mess with me. How'd you do it?"
"Silly tamer. Have you not heard of kitsune magic?"
The tamer gave the digimon an incredulous look.
"Come on, magic's not real."
Yuki just kept staring with a cocky smirk, waiting for the tamer to crack. The tamer's expression slowly fell.
"...you're serious?"
"After everything else you've seen, is this so hard to believe? Let's be honest, us digimon don't exactly play by the rules in your world."
"Yeah, but... actual magic?"
"Still no clue about the abilities of digimon, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a clueless idiot.
"True, but you're my clueless idiot."
"Eugh, don't give me that sappy nonsense. Seriously, how do you go from ferocious beast to misty-eyed mooch?"
"Hey, I can be ferocious and emotionally sensitive."
"Ferociously emotional, got it."
Yuki just rolled his eyes at his tamer's antics.
Eventually, the digimon let him go, lifting his head and leg off the tamer's chest.
"Tamer?"
"Yeah?"
"Will you... stay with me?"
The tamer propped himself up on one elbow.
"You should've kept sitting on me if that's what you wanted."
Yuki gave him a serious look.
"Please. I can feel that I don't have much time."
"What're you talking about? Oh god, you're not dying, are you?!"
"Not exactly. I'm going to de-digivolve soon."
"Oh, ok. Well that's not an issue. You'll just go back to being Ren, right?"
"Yes, you'll get Ren back. And I... will go back to the void."
"The void? Won't you still be part of Ren?"
"Not consciously. I'm a dark digivolution."
"I've heard that before, but I don't actually know what it means."
"I'm... a corruption. Like a separate entity within Ren. This is not the path his evolution is meant to follow."
Yuki took a deep breath before continuing.
"...normally, a digimon digivolves as they grow to accommodate the data they accumulate. Partnered digimon can also digivolve temporarily by drawing on the strength of their tamer. A dark digivolution is similar, except it draws on negative emotions like anger or desperation, and doesn't need a tamer's strength. The result is a digimon full of negative energy... like me."
"Um, ok. But... you're not full of negative energy. You're just a bit... well... arrogant."
"Not this time, no... I think I have you to thank for that. But my kind are known as bringers of destruction. Last time Ren called me forth... well... let's just say it didn't go well for anyone involved."
"Right. So this void... you just... what? Float around in limbo?"
"It's... I don't even know how to describe it. It's like existing but not existing at the same time. Ren's body can sense my presence and fights to keep me out. I'm too strong for him to purge completely, so he does the next best thing and isolates me. But if he gets desperate, like when he was fighting GulusGammamon, the negative feeling overpowers this and releases me."
"That… jeez..."
The tamer didn't know what to say.
"...is... is there a way for you to escape this void without needing Ren to... you know... unleash the darkness?"
"Not that I know of."
"So... what now?"
"I don't know if or when Ren will call me forth again. He might never need me now that he has you, once your bond is strong enough. So... as I said, I'd like it if you stayed with me. Last time this happened, I was alone and badly injured."
"What happened?"
"It's a long story, but the short version is basically that Ren was in a battle and unleashed me. I was... different then, and all Ren's allies had to fight to stop me. Afterwards, Ren couldn't remember what happened. He just knew that all his allies abandoned him because of the battle. They didn't trust him not to unleash me again."
"That's why he hates battles."
"Well, he doesn't hate them. He just... fears what might happen."
"Alright, but he can't remember it because he blocks you out."
"Yes."
"So... what happened to you?"
"There were 5 of them against me. I almost got the better of them still, but eventually they
proved too much for me. They couldn't delete me though, because that would mean deleting Ren, so they beat me til I couldn't fight back. Then they just left me, and eventually I de-digivolved."
"Ouch. That sounds... pretty rough."
"It was not a pleasant last memory to be stuck with. I don't want to go through that again. This time... I have you... if that's alright?"
"I... uh, yeah. Of course. I..."
The digimon noticed the tamer stumbling for words.
"You alright, Tamer?"
"I... well... we were just working things out and now you have to go. It just... kinda sucks."
"Heh... missing me already?"
"I... yes, I will."
The digimon's eyes widened at the tamer's admission.
"You... will?"
"Well... yeah. I know we had a bit of a rocky start, but you're not such a bad guy, I guess."
"Not so bad, huh? Guess I fooled you pretty good then."
"Mhmm. You got me. So... what would be a nice memory?"
"Well, just sitting with someone who isn't trying to delete me is a big improvement on last time..."
"I'm sensing a 'but' here."
"Well..."
"Yeah?"
"Could you... do that thing?"
"What thing?"
"With my ears... like you did for Ren."
The tamer scoffed as he laid back down and patted his chest.
"Alright, come here you big puppy."
Yuki gave a snort, but happily laid his head back on his tamer.
"Comfortable, big guy?"
"I did say you make a good pillow."
"Heh... yes, you did."
The tamer reached his hands up to the digimon's ears and started massaging as he'd done for Ren.
Yuki closed his eyes and leaned heavily into his tamer's hands.
"Mmm, so gooood."
The tamer smirked evilly to himself.
"Hey, Yuki?"
"Hmm?"
"Who's my good boy?"
The digimon scowled at the tamer's patronising, but couldn't stop his tails from wagging against the bed.
"I don't know what I hate more about that. The fact that I'm so relaxed I'm probably going to let you get away with it. Or the fact that I secretly like it."
"Eh, you can play the bad boy all you want, but your tails give you away."
"Hmph, fine. I suppose I could be your good boy."
Despite his petulant look, Yuki's tails beat happily against the bed.
The pair stayed like that, with the tamer continuing to pet his digimon til they both fell asleep.