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sloanerisette · 2 years ago

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To Make It Through Your Worst Days - Camp Digimonth 2023

Here’s my first thing I’m working on for Camp Digimonth! It’s a Yolei-focused oneshot/character study I started last month but ran into some roadblocks with. I wanted to really look into the anxiety that I see her having (given episodes like Run Yolei Run in 02), and see how that affects her so many years later once she’s started to settle down.

I hope you all enjoy this! This is also up on AO3 here

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Her mom had said that the second pregnancy would be easier than the first. Five months in and Yolei could confirm that was a complete fucking lie. Morning sickness was much worse this time around, but worse than that was the way her brain buzzed at times. For some reason, her anxiety had started to take more of a toll on her than usual.

For just over two months now she had been on a big job, having taken to doing freelance audio production in order to help while Ken was between cases. The clients had been rather demanding, but she liked to believe she had really nailed it. It was a track for an indie film that had been filming in parts of Odaiba, and included both the music that would play during the climax as well as some work on the film’s audio itself to help enhance it so it would really pop. This would be her first time doing something that hadn’t been for a small time musician or some sort of local business’s ad on the radio, and as she was helping her daughter get ready for school that morning, the confidence she had started to wane and fade into anxiousness.

It was eating at her deep in her gut, and once Ken and Haruka left, panic had started to overtake her. In just two hours she would have that meeting, which meant she had two hours in which her brain could convince her of any and everything. It didn’t help that she insisted Hawkmon go off with Ken and Wormmon that day, either.

“Go, go! I’ll be fine, honest!” she had insisted amidst all of her partner’s concerns.

She would be fine physically, sure, since the long bouts of morning sickness had passed a while ago, but that didn’t stop her brain from ringing like mad between her ears.

“It’s just going to be a quick, easy meeting. You’re going to send them the tracks, they’re going to love it, and you’re going to tell everyone the good news at dinner,” she mumbled to herself as she had taken to compulsively cleaning the living room a second time. Sweat matted her bangs to her forehead, and it was only then that she realized she needed to slow down just a little bit.

The lavender-haired woman looked down at her phone on the arm of the couch and took in a quiet breath. Everyone was working right now. There was no one to talk to for a brief moment to try and calm herself down.

Yolei had opted to finish her cleaning by giving the kitchen counter a once over before getting ready, doing her best to shut out the intrusive shower thoughts. Today hadn’t been so bad, as she had been able to push through most of those quiet moments with a lightly citrus scented shampoo that Kari had gotten her a few weeks ago alongside some music playing on her phone. Ken had been incredibly insistent on her taking self-care a little more seriously than usual during her pregnancy to try and make things easier on herself.

Usually she was happy to indulge in some self-care, whether it was delicious food or a little bit of retail therapy (which, granted, had been much less since they started their family), but the little things like this had truly been a boon in helping her out.

Afterwards, she put on her nicest dress and got ready for the video call, relieved she wouldn’t have to make a trek out to the office for it.

With one last brush of her hair, she opened the video call program and turned on her webcam mere moments before a call came through. Once she accepted, there were two men sitting on a couch, each in a business casual combination of blazers, t-shirts, and jeans.

“Mr. Okamoto! Mr. Hanamura! Great to talk to you again!”

“It’s great to talk to you, too, Mrs. Ichijouji. We’re really excited to hear what you have for us,” Okamoto started off with an easy smile as he leaned back.

“Sure thing! Give me just one minute to upload these and…” she started, fingers deftly tapping away at her keyboard, “There!”

“Thanks, we appreciate you being willing to work under that time crunch. Post production is nearly done, so your tracks and a few others are all we’re waiting for,” Hanamura said.

Yolei sucked in a deep breath and put on a wide, confident smile that she certainly hadn’t been feeling at the moment.

“Well I’m really happy with what I came up with, so I think you will be, too,” she told them, all while she kept up her smile.

She had lost plenty of sleep over this project recently. This project was one she had done a lot of work on when she couldn’t get to sleep at night, or during those rare times in the middle of the day that she had an hour or two to sit down and chip away at it. She’d been working on it for nearly half of her pregnancy so far, and it wasn’t easy, especially not with everything else she did to keep the home organized.

It was a big job, and while it wouldn’t necessarily make or break their finances, it would certainly do a lot to help if it all went well, and it would be a great piece to add to her resume for any other gig work she would want to take in the future.

A lump was stuck in her throat, and she kept a hopeful smile plastered on her face as they hit play and the music track came on. It was bombastic, with heavy-hitting bass and powerful synth that she thought would be killer for the movie they were making. Aside from the music echoing from the video call, everything else was achingly, painfully quiet, and the knot in her stomach got tighter and tighter.

She couldn’t take it anymore, she needed a response now.

That hopeful smile went away as she saw their faces go sour, the distaste clear in their expressions, and her heart sank. All of this work, all of the feedback she had gotten from Ken suddenly felt meaningless, and she could feel beads of sweat begin to gather at the crown of her head.

“You know, Mrs. Ichijouji, I don’t… I just don’t think this is very good,” Okamoto said bluntly, and it felt like a knife to the stomach. It hit so quickly and was so severe that she felt dizzy.

“This really isn’t what I envisioned for the scene, in all honesty. I’m not sure I want to listen to the other audio,” Hanamura sighed and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“R-Really…?” she asked slowly, “I mean, you mentioned you wanted something big and bombastic, right? I was reading what you sent over and when comparing it to the audio track I just thought—”

“Well, yes, we wanted big and bombastic, but this feels too… too techno. Too dubstep,” Okamoto cut in as he held up a hand to stop her, “It feels too basic and juvenile for what we’re going for.”

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Her head was swimming in a choppy ocean of self-deprecating thoughts, and it was taking all of her energy to focus.

“In all honesty, while I appreciate your thoughts for what you felt could fit, as the directors of this film, I think we have a better idea of what we know would work,” Hanamura said firmly. She felt sick. Not to mention stupid and… childish. Did they really need to talk down to her like this!?

“I-I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to insist that I knew better or anything, I just thought it might be good,” she choked, swallowing hard after ad she tried to push down the bile she could feel starting to rise.

“We need you to redo this,” Okamoto said sharply, “We really can’t afford to miss our deadlines and we’re already cutting this close as it is.”

“I can redo this, yeah. I-It’s no problem,” she said, nodding rapidly.

“Good. We can only give you a month, though,” Hanamura said, before he checked his phone, “26 days, actually,” he added with a sigh.

What took her nearly two full months now had to be done in less than one!? This was ridiculous.

She wanted to insist how ridiculous it was— how she needed more time— but she couldn’t afford to. How would she be able to look at Ken and Haruka, Hawkmon and Wormmon, if she had to tell them that she lost this job completely because she argued with her clients? The job that she had been so sure of?

“Yeah, that’s… that’s fine.”

As they relayed new directions painfully slowly and in the most basic and simple of detail— as if she couldn’t understand it otherwise— she nodded numbly, the words going in one ear or another while she typed, relieved that they’d also be sending the updated guidelines and requests via email.

“Please get the new track to us ASAP,” Hanamura said, and Okamoto nodded silently.

“Of course. I’ll… I’ll be on it ASAP,” she said, letting out a huge sigh of relief as soon as she hung up the call. She slumped against the couch, unable to help the tears that started to pour no matter how much she wiped her face with her arm.

“Shit. Shit shit shit,” she cursed under her breath, relieved their daughter wasn’t there to see her mother look so pathetic.

Yolei knew she had to get started, but even just thinking about it felt so overwhelming. Her anxiety was starting to run rampant, and it didn’t help either. It was another reminder of how she messed up something so basic, so simple. Something that should’ve been a gimme.

Worse than that, she felt so stupid for crying like this. She felt so stupid and frustrated that she allowed herself to be talked down to like that when she never put up with it before.

“You shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up, Yolei. This is what happens when you get too confident,” she mumbled to herself, unable to help but cringe as a brief moment of clarity shone through about how this was just a symptom of her anxiety at work. It was something she tried to work on, and when Ken or one of the others had been around, they usually were able to help talk some sense into her.

It was a time like this she really wished she could call up Cody so he could help set her straight. He wouldn’t accept her wallowing like this, but considering everyone else had their jobs and priorities, all she could do was wallow. She looked down at her stomach and gently poked it.

“Your mommy’s a mess,” she laughed weakly, tears continuing to spill down her face.

God, what a mess she was. How did Ken put up with her when she got like this? Would Haruka end up like this one day? Would their next kid be doomed?

She was spiraling again, but this time she couldn’t recognize it and she certainly couldn’t stop herself.

Now Yolei ran through the whole gamut in her head: wondering how Hawkmon could handle her when she was like this, how her friends were willing to deal with her (if they really were able to), and how she was able to even land an opportunity like this in the first place. At this rate, she’d fail at this and wouldn’t be able to get another shot.

Those thoughts had filled her head so fully, and she suddenly felt nausea overtake her. The stress that was racing through her mind left her sick to her stomach, and she rushed to the bathroom as quickly as she could, barely able to make it in time.

Her mouth and throat burned once she was done, and the only things she could do was muster up taking one long swig from her water bottle. Her body was tired and her mind even more so, and as much as it pained her, what with knowing how much she had to do not just with this gig, but also around the house, she needed to slow down and gather herself.

But she’d have to pick up her daughter from her mother-in-law’s place later and with how red and puffy her eyes were from the fact that she was still crying, going there would be an absolute mess.

She shuffled to her and Ken’s room, feeling guilty for the fact that she was going to lie down in bed when everyone else was being responsible adults.

“I really hate you sometimes,” she spoke softly to the mirror, speaking just as much to herself as she was her brain.

She buried herself under the covers, not satisfied until she was completely engulfed. Yolei clenched her eyes shut, unable to stop the torrent of intrusive thoughts from pushing into her head again until it ultimately became so overwhelming that she passed out from exhaustion.

Two hours later she woke up, shooting a hand from under the comforter to grab her phone on the nightstand. Yolei paled as she saw the time and choked out a weak sob.

“You can’t just waste time like this,” she muttered, shaking her head as she pushed her face into the pillow before she let out a weak wail. With a deep breath, she opened one eye to look at her phone, throat tight as she saw a text message from Ken preemptively congratulating her on a job well done.

Yeah, a job well done laying in bed after getting scolded by her not-even-bosses.

But she knew she needed to call him, as much as she hated the idea of pulling him from his work, if only because she knew she wouldn’t be able to get to the subway in this state, let alone go pick up her daughter. She didn’t feel right asking for help, but she had to. With a lot of hesitance, she called him and put it on speaker, already burying her face in her pillow once again as the phone rang.

***

“Dang, Hawkmon, you’re on the case today, too?” Davis Motomiya asked as the group of Ken, Wormmon, and Hawkmon approached his food cart.

“Yolei insisted I go along to assist Ken and Wormmon, though I have a feeling she just wanted some time for herself before her big meeting today,” Hawkmon explained.

“She did seem more anxious than usual,” Wormmon added as he remained perched on Ken’s shoulder.

“Oh yeah, that movie gig, right?” Davis asked.

“Yeah,” Ken nodded, “She was working on it like crazy and it sounds really good.”

“She’s been fretting more than usual about it,” Hawkmon added.

“More than usual?” came the voice of Veemon as he popped up from behind the cart, wiping sweat from his forehead, “I didn’t think that was possible.”

An ugly snort escaped Davis, which caused him to turn bright red as his gaze moved to Ken, who arched an eyebrow at him curiously.

“Sorry, man, Veemon’s timing was just really good,” Davis said sheepishly as he jabbed his thumb in the direction of his partner. Hawkmon folded his arms and let out a huff.

“…We were wondering if we could get lunch?” Ken cut in before looking down, offering Hawkmon a sympathetic smile.

“Oh, Ken, can I get some extra mushrooms today?” Wormmon asked.

“Of course. So, we’ll have—”

Ken was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. He looked over his shoulder to see a small line forming behind him. “Sorry, I’ll be right back,” he apologized with a nod, before stepping out of line. Hawkmon quickly followed suit, standing off to the side of the cart.

Ken took a few steps and pulled his phone from his pocket to see Yolei calling, and he couldn’t help the small smile on his face as he picked up.

“Yolei? How’d the meeting go?”

But instead of any excited rambling, he was immediately hit with the sounds of sobbing and muffled words slurring together. Ken’s chest felt tight, and he instantly went into fight or flight mode.

“Yolei? Yolei, is everything ok? What happened?”

From over at the cart Davis was looking Ken’s way with concern as he was getting an order ready. As soon as the words left his mouth, Hawkmon all but flew to his side, worriedly looking up at him.

“I fucked up Ken I fucking fucked up and this whole job is a mess and and and I can’t believe I did this I’m so sorry.”

Ken’s frown grew deeper.

“Yolei, can you try taking a deep breath?”

“Ken, is everything alright with Yolei?”

On the other end Ken could hear Yolei attempt a deep breath, only for it to turn into another wracked sob.

“Yolei, try to take another deep breath. It’s ok, I’m here.”

It took a few minutes before her intense crying started to settle down.

“Ken? Ken, I'm so sorry.”

“You have no reason to be sorry, Yolei. What’s wrong?”

“The meeting went horribly. I messed everything up and I only barely managed to get a chance to redo it and oh my god I’m so sorry I’m so so sorry Ken.”

Ken wasn’t happy knowing his wife was alone and in so much pain, but at least it wasn’t some sort of immediate health emergency. He just needed to get home as quickly as possible.

“You don’t need to be sorry, I promise,” he assured her.

“I feel so bad I know you’re so busy and this case is important but can you pick Haruka up? I just… I can’t and I’m so—”

“I promise, you don’t need to be sorry. I’ll head over and get her then come right back home for the day.”

“Thank you,” she said weakly, sniffling in between her words, “I don’t deserve you guys.”

“Don’t say that, you do. And we’re lucky to have you in our lives,” he said. He wasn’t sure if she would believe him, but he knew that reminding her would help break through the wall of self-loathing that always rose when this happened.

“O-Ok. Thank you.”

“I love you. We’ll be back soon. Just try and get some rest if you can.”

“Lo-Love you, too…”

With that he hung up and let out a sigh.

“What’s going on, Ken? What’s wrong with Yolei?” Hawkmon asked impatiently.

“Yolei’s having a really bad anxiety attack. Apparently the meeting didn’t go well…” he said.

“I knew I shouldn’t have left,” Hawkmon huffed, “She kept insisting but I knew it wasn’t a good idea…”

“I don’t think she would’ve let you stay, Hawkmon,” Wormmon said.

Ken nodded, “He’s right. You can’t beat yourself up. Yolei is just very…”

“Stubborn?” Hawkmon asked. Ken chuckled gently.

“I was going to say headstrong. But yes,” he said, “We just need to go pick up Haruka and then go home.”

Ken looked back over to Davis’s ramen cart, seeing that the lunch rush had been served during the course of the phone call. He gestured for Hawkmon to follow along before making his way back to his best friend.

“Everything ok, dude? You were on the phone for a while,” Davis said.

“Things… didn’t go well with Yolei’s meeting today. We’re going to pick up Haruka and then head home,” Ken told him.

Veemon frowned, “Oh… I’m sorry, guys.”

“It’s ok, Veemon,” Ken said. Hawkmon nodded.

“Yes. We know you wouldn’t say anything if you knew this was happening already,” the feathered Digimon added.

“Hey, you guys still want lunch? Yolei has never turned down my ramen before, and you could take some to my favorite niece, too,” Davis suggested with a wide smile.

“That’s a great idea, actually. It’ll be a pretty big order, though, you think you’re up for the task?” Ken asked with a slight smirk. Veemon puffed out his chest in response.

“Up to the task? Are you kidding? Do you know who we are!?” Veemon asked.

Davis was equally fired up in an instant, “Yeah! Man, Ken, I thought you believed in us!”

Ken couldn’t help but laugh, glad to see that such a little, teasing comment had gotten his best friend and his partner so amped up.

“Veemon, get your bandana, we’re whipping up the best damn batch of ramen the Ichijouji’s have ever tasted!”

“On it!”

Ken couldn’t stop his leg from bouncing as he sat on a bench a few yards from Davis, listening to him sing while he worked.

“Are you ok, Ken?” Wormmon asked as he hopped down onto the bench, looking up at him.

Ken sighed, “Not particularly, Wormmon,” he told his partner with a weak smile, patting him on the head.

“It isn’t particularly fun knowing Yolei is suffering while we’ve been working, is it?” Hawkmon mused.

Ken’s gaze was fixed to the ground as he wrung his hands together, staying silent. Hawkmon cleared his throat after a moment.

“I still remember the first time I really became privy to this,” the Digimon sighed, “It might be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences I’ve ever had with her.”

Ken remained silent, still, but glanced over to his wife’s partner. Wormmon focused on Hawkmon intently.

“It started a few nights before we…” Hawkmon paused for a beat, which caused Ken to quirk an eyebrow curiously, “…Before we went to locate the Digimon Emperor’s base.”

Ken swallowed hard, and Wormmon couldn’t help but scuttle over to gently pat him on the leg.

“She could barely sleep, and once we were in the Digital World she was forging ahead of everyone to try and find the base so we could put a stop to it once and for all. She was climbing control spires and putting herself in danger constantly because she felt she wasn’t capable or strong enough. She was overly proactive and nearly got hurt because of it. And when I got hurt protecting her, she was inconsolable.”

He knew that his friends went through a lot trying to stop him back then, but he never knew this had happened to Yolei and Hawkmon…

“Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not aiming to make you feel guilty, I was just thinking about how long I’ve known her to be like this. She pushes herself so much that she runs herself ragged. But she also doesn’t want anyone to worry— or for anyone to think she’s incapable. The fact that she told you feels like a big step forward.”

Ken sighed, “It does, but it just means she was probably holding all of this stress back the entire time she’s been working on this. It’s not good for her.”

Ken massaged his temple and clenched his eyes shut.

“Maybe it might be a good idea if Hawkmon and I stay home tomorrow?” Wormmon suggested. Ken opened his eyes slowly and looked at his partner, offering a weary smile.

“That might be a good idea, yeah. We’ll think about it more tonight and see how she’s doing in the morning.”

��Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrder up!”

Wormmon let out a yelp of surprise as Davis walked over with a plastic bag in each hand.

“And there’s the food for my favorite family,” he grinned.

“Thank you so much, Davis, I really appreciate it,” Ken said.

“C’mon, Ken, I’d do anything for you, you know that!” he told his DNA Digivolution partner as he handed off the bags, “I packed in another serving so Yolei has two bowls of ramen to chow down on. You know, cause she’s eating for two now,” Davis said, folding his arms, a very satisfied grin on his face.

“And there’s extra mushrooms for me…?” Wormmon asked as he looked up at Davis.

“Of course!” Veemon said as he jumped over from behind the cart, “And extra noodles for you, Hawkmon!”

“Thank you,” Hawkmon said with a bow of his head.

“Thanks again, guys,” Ken added.

“Seriously, no problem, dude. I hope Yolei feels better. And tell Haruka Uncle Davis says hi!”

“Will do. We’ll see you later.”

“Like tomorrow for more ramen?” Veemon asked as Ken started to turn on his heel. Ken couldn’t help but laugh.

“We’ll probably be back tomorrow, yeah.”

***

Ken had held onto the bags the whole way to his parents’ apartment, relieved that it was such a quick trip from where Davis had set up shop for the day.

“Ah, Hawkmon, do you mind?” Ken asked sheepishly as they approached the door.

“Not at all,” Hawkmon said simply, walking over to knock on the door.

He could hear the sounds of his daughter scrambling around, her laughter making it through the door, and it brought a small level of comfort to him. When the door opened, the expression on his mother’s face turned to surprise immediately.

“Ken!”

“Hi, mom.”

She blinked a few times, “What’re you doing here?” she asked. After a moment, she smiled, “Oh, sorry, I was just expecting Yolei. How’re you? Is work going ok today?”

Ken nodded, “It is, yeah. We just stopped by to—”

“Mommy!”

Ken stiffened a bit as he saw his small, four year old daughter run next to his mother, holding a Pururumon in her arms. She adjusted her glasses, the large, circle lenses making her eyes look so big and full of wonder— and they reminded him of his wife in an instant.

“Daddy? Where’s mommy?”

Ken felt himself heat up a bit, and he scratched his cheek as he thought of just what to say.

“She’s at home. She… wasn’t feeling that good, so she asked me to come pick you up,” he told her, offering her a small smile. Haruka frowned.

“Is she ok?” she asked immediately. Ken’s mother’s brow creased with worry.

“Is Yolei doing alright?”

Ken nodded slowly, “Yeah, the pregnancy has just been really rough on her this morning.”

Haruka’s frown deepened, “Are you sure mommy is ok, daddy?”

“She’s just feeling a little under the weather, but she’s fine, sweetheart, don’t worry.”

Thankfully that seemed to assuage her fears rather quickly, and her face lit up again.

“And we brought lunch for you, too,” Wormmon told her, which caused her to jump in place from excitement.

“Yay! Yay!” she cheered happily, stopping only to hug her grandmother’s leg, “Bye grandma!”

“I’ll see you soon, dear,” Ken’s mother said as she knelt down to give her granddaughter a hug, then looked up at Ken, “Let me know if you need anything. I should still have some home remedies from when I was pregnant with you.”

Ken smiled weakly, “I will, thanks mom. Are you ready to go, Haruka?”

“Mhm!” Haruka nodded, before waving goodbye to her grandmother.

As the small group started to head back home, Ken couldn’t help but glance down at his daughter every so often. She reminded him so much of her mother— Haruka was practically the spitting image of Yolei in every way— and that just left him feeling more anxious about her still being by herself. Haruka held her Pururumon close to her, the tiny, pudgy bird cooing and squawking happily.

Nearly a perfect little copy, right down to having the same Digimon partner, and those facts always left Yolei preening with pride over their daughter— even more than she usually did.

“Is everything ok, daddy?” Haruka asked sweetly, head craned up to look at her father. Ken bit the inside of his cheek at her words.

She was just as intuitive and quick-witted as her mother, too. Maybe being reminded of that could help her out a bit…

“Everything’s fine,” he smiled, “I don’t usually get to pick you up, so I’m happy to see you,” he told her, which was the truth.

Thankfully, his answer was enough to cause her face to light up with a smile, which soothed some of the ache in Ken’s chest.

“I’m happy to see you too, daddy! I wish mommy could’ve been here, too,” she pouted, “I knew another baby was a bad idea… it's making mommy not feel well…”

Ken let out a weak chuckle, “Don’t say that, sweetheart. I’m sure as soon as your little brother or sister is here you’ll be happy to have them around,” he told her. Haruka pouted harder— if that was even possible.

“Maybe… but I already have Pururumon!” she said, nuzzling the little baby bird blob.

“Well, I can’t wait for the new baby,” Wormmon piped up, and Hawkmon nodded in agreement.

***

Ever since her call with Ken, Yolei had kept his pillow over her face to cry into— at least once the hyperventilating and intense sobs had stopped. Even still, all she could think about was how she had absolutely fucked up.

Her mind was still swirling with those thoughts of how she had ruined everything, how everyone would be mad at her, and how she had ruined their chances at making sure they could be more financially stable with another kid on the way.

She didn’t hear the door open, but she did hear the commotion of everyone coming in, and at that point she couldn’t help but pull the pillow even closer to her face— if that were somehow possible— as she started to cry again.

“Haruka, my dear, let’s get you ready to eat,” Hawkmon said, his voice muffled by the pillow over Yolei’s ears.

“Can I say hi to mommy before I eat?”

“She might be sleeping. I’ll go check on her first, and after you eat you can see her if she’s up. How’s that sound?” Ken told their daughter, and Yolei could feel a deep pit in her gut start to form.

“Ok. C’mon Hawkmon, c’mon Wormmon! Let’s eat!”

“Please, don’t run so fast! My legs can’t keep up!” Wormmon cried out, barely able to be heard by Yolei, while Haruka’s giggles started to break through the down and dreary atmosphere that lingered like a dark cloud above Yolei.

As the sounds of Ken’s footsteps grew closer and closer, Yolei held the pillow tighter and tighter, not even wanting to be perceived by her husband.

“He deserves better. He deserves someone who can actually do a fucking job right. Someone who doesn’t end up like this…”

Wormmon and Hawkmon, too… Hawkmon, especially. If it weren’t for the fact that Hawkmon and her were destined to be partners for life, he could probably go off to find someone better to be with…

“Yolei?”

Ken’s voice was soft and gentle, almost as if she could break if he spoke too loud. So caring and kind… Her heart clenched and she couldn’t help the wracked sob that tore from her.

She could feel the edge of the bed sink with his weight as he sat down. Was he looking down at her with pity? How many times had he looked at her with pity or shame before? Surely dozens, right?

A shiver, followed by a brief warmth, ran through her body as he gently set a hand on her knee.

“Can I take the pillow off?” he asked her, and she gave an exaggerated shake of her head, the pillow still just about glued to her face, “You can breathe alright, right?” he added, to which she followed up with a nod.

“I know… I know what happened has been weighing on you a lot today, and I know it’s not as easy as me just saying it’s ok to chase it all away… but I promise you, you didn’t mess up anything because of how those guys reacted to your work,” he told her.

She let out a weak sound that caused Ken to grimace. He knew it would take more than just this to help her feel better, but he wasn’t going to give up. He began to gently rub her knee.

“You know, you worked really hard with all of this, and you should be proud of that. I am,” he told her. His gentle touch helped in soothing her, causing her arms to relax a bit. No longer did she have that tight grip on the pillow, but even still, she couldn’t help but continue to cry into it.

Why? Why was he being so nice?

“B-b-but I… you had to stop working… and… and…” she blubbered, letting out another weak, strained cry. Her voice was scratchy from crying so hard over the course of the day.

“It’s ok.”

He couldn’t say those two words enough, wanting to reassure her— now and always— that no matter what, things would be alright. To try and steady her and keep her in a good place as best he could.

“But the money… and… and Haruka… and—”

Ken bit his lip gently, his brow creased with concern.

“I know things are tighter with money than when we first got married, but it’ll be fine. We have savings. And if worst comes to worst, we have friends who can help us out,” he told her.

“That’s just putting more stress on everyone, and then everyone will be mad at us. And it’ll be all my fault.”

The sheer insistence and need to do everything, how much her mind raced, how much she had to prove to be useful to others, to show that she could handle everything thrown her way.

It was easier to see all these little things now that Hawkmon had mentioned it. He knew when she got anxious before, when things really affected her, but now they seemed to be clearer than ever. This had weighed down on her so heavily throughout the day and had left her stressed to no end, and Ken internally cursed the fact that he hadn’t insisted someone stay there with her to try and help ground her before her meeting.

The man swallowed hard and ran a hand through his hair as he looked at his wife.

“Is it ok if I take the pillow now?” he asked slowly. Yolei remained quiet, but then slowly nodded.

“If you’re ok seeing your wife look so pathetic,” she droned quietly. Ken slowly leaned over and pulled the pillow from her, setting it down next to her. Her nose was red from running so much, and her eyes were red, puffy, and tear-stained. She squinted up at him, adjusting her vision to focus without her glasses.

“I wouldn’t say pathetic. I’d say beautiful. In a lot of pain, but beautiful as always,” he told her. Yolei’s brows knitted together as she sniffled.

“I’m not,” she said simply, unable to help but let out another weak sob, her chest heaving as she did so. More tears began to spill from the corners of her eyes.

“You are,” he said, knowing he had to orient the conversation in a different direction, “Do you want to talk more about how you’re feeling?”

She let out a long, low sigh. It was clear from the look on her face that the answer was “no”, but she was silent, and her lip wobbled for a moment before she whispered, “Yes.”

“I’m such a mess,” she huffed out, “I can’t even do a fucking contracting job right.”

Ken couldn’t help but wince at her curse, silently thankful that Hawkmon and Wormmon were able to keep Haruka preoccupied.

“What happened at the meeting?” he asked finally.

“I sent them the song and they hated it. They trashed it immediately and then they kept telling me I didn’t know what I was doing,” she paused, and then sighed, “They’re right.”

“That’s not…” Ken started, but Yolei continued.

“I was working on this for months and I just completely messed it all up. If I can’t even do one project for some stupid indie film, then how am I going to be expected to do actual big work again one day?”

All he wanted to do was argue, but for now, he stayed quiet. Maybe he just needed to let her… speak her mind. Let it all out and get it all off her chest, and then he could try and shoot down each of her arguments against her.

“And what if they hate this next attempt and don’t want to pay me? Then we’re so screwed and I’m never gonna get work again and we’ll be even more screwed. All because of me.”

She trailed off, before letting out a sad laugh, “You, Hawkmon, Wormmon, you guys would all be way better off without me.”

Ken felt his chest clench, “Yolei—”

“And what about Haruka? One day she’ll probably have a massive anxiety attack and it’ll all be my fault. It-it gets inherited, Ken. She’s going to inherit it and it’s going to be my fault.”

“Then we’ll help her get through it. She would never fault you for something neither of you can control.”

Yolei’s gaze fell down, “She’d be right to, probably. So would this one.”

The air was pushed from Ken’s lungs, and as soon as he recovered from the way her words left him reeling, he was quick to speak.

“Neither of our children would ever hold this against you. You have to believe that,” he said, before offering her a small smile, “Do you think Haruka could ever be mad at you? You remember how happy she was when we found out her partner was Pururumon, right?”

A weak, mirthless chuckle bubbled from Yolei, “It was like Christmas for her.”

“Exactly,” Ken smiled, “And… if Haruka ends up having anxiety, then she has you to help her with that.”

“Maybe she would, but-but still— you, and Hawkmon, and—”

“We wouldn’t be better without you,” Ken said immediately, “I said earlier that we’re lucky to have you, and I mean that. You’ve done a lot to help Wormmon and I, you know that.”

“And Hawkmon… Hawkmon is your partner, Yolei. He could never hate you.”

“But…” she argued weakly.

“Yolei,” Ken started as he took one of her hands in both of his, “All of this is a lot, but… it’s a part of you.”

He cringed at how poorly that came out.

“Sorry, I just mean that… yes, your anxiety has been a lot on you, but for better or worse… it’s just a part of who you are.”

“For worse,” Yolei cut in with a huff.

Ken went quiet again, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of something to say that could help. Every direction he went, she cut off his attempts to try and assuage her anxieties. It had clearly been a tough day, and she was still reeling from all of this, even now.

Maybe for now…

“Do you want dinner? We picked up ramen,” he offered. A hint of brightness shone through in Yolei’s eyes at his words.

“Y-Yeah?” she choked out hopefully. Ken nodded.

“Davis even packed a second portion for you, because you’re eating for two, as he said.” Another weak cry left Yolei’s lips, though this time he could tell from the look on her face that she seemed happy.

Something bright to help start to break through all the gray that had fallen over her.

“I guess even he can be smart sometimes,” she said, her words light, teasing, and lacking any of the bite they held back when they were bickering preteens who were almost always at each other’s throats.

“I’ll go get our food ready,” he said, starting to stand up, though she grabbed onto his sleeve.

“Um,” she started abruptly, quiet as she started to think of how to verbalize what she wanted to say, “Can we… eat in here tonight? I’m just not ready to see them yet.”

“Of course. I’ll be right back,” he said, her grip loosening so the soft cotton fell through her fingers.

“Ok…”

A part of her was scared to have him leave. What if after today, even a brief trip to the kitchen proved too much?

No, no no no, she heard him: they were lucky to have her, Haruka loved her, and Hawkmon was her partner for life. He meant that, right?

He was back not even five minutes later, and she let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding as she saw his silhouette in the frame of the door.

“You’re back,” she said quietly.

“What was that?” he asked. Yolei sucked in another breath and cleared her throat.

“I-I’m so hungry,” she stuttered out, “It’s just set in that I didn’t even eat lunch.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we had Davis’s foresight to help out,” Ken joked lightly, and Yolei responded with a playful eye roll.

“Yeah… I guess I’ll text him a thanks tonight,” she said as she started to push herself up. Once she was leaning back against the headboard, Ken handed her the first bowl of ramen. She opened the lid, cracked apart a pair of chopsticks, and began to dig in. Ken sat at the edge of the bed again, following suit as he plucked out a piece of pork and started to eat.

He’d have to text Davis thanks, too.

The two ate in silence, with Yolei ravenously eating and Ken taking his time, just happy to see his wife doing better. Thankfully their Digimon partners had been doing a good job in keeping Haruka preoccupied, asking all about her day with her grandmother.

Partway through her second bowl, Yolei loudly slurped some of the broth before she looked over at Ken, who was still picking at the last few mushrooms and bean sprouts in his mostly empty bowl.

“…I’m sorry,” she sighed.

Ken looked at her and blinked, chopsticks in his mouth as he had just taken another bite of food.

“What for?” he asked after he swallowed.

“For… being so much trouble earlier. And arguing with you now,” she told him, and a gentle frown settled on his face.

“You don’t need to apologize, Yolei. We’re partners, and you would do the same for me.”

Yolei nodded slowly as a few tears began to stain her cheeks again.

“I know, an-and like I said, I’m sorry for arguing with you. I’ve been so stressed out and everything just piled up and I felt so…” she trailed off, then sighed, “…Useless. Like I’m just a burden.”

Yolei’s shoulders slumped and she looked down at the bowl in her lap blankly, eyes focused on the little bit of broth left.

“I know this has been tough on you. But you’re not a burden. I’m always here to remind you that,” he said, leaning forward to wipe the wet from her cheek.

Yolei sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes again as she shivered from his touch.

“I-I just have to ask… you’ll never get sick of me, right?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Ken froze for a split second, but then immediately shook his head.

“No. I promise, I never could,” he assured her, his voice just as low and his words meant only for her. Yolei swallowed hard, but relief flowed through her whole body.

“A-And you’re happy with where we are?”

Ken nodded.

“And Haruka is happy? Sh-she loves us? She loves—”

“She does. You should have seen how much she missed you when I went to pick her up,” he said, and Yolei smiled.

“We can go out there if you’re up for it? I’m sure they’d all be happy to tell you,” he added.

“Can I finish my ramen first?” she asked timidly, “It’s just… really good… and I’m so hungry…”

Ken laughed, “Of course.”

It didn’t take too long for Yolei to finish eating, after which she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Ken offered her his hand to help her up, and they took a slow walk out to the small living room of their apartment.

Coloring books and toys were scattered around the coffee table and the rug, and Haruka was busy coloring in a drawing of Wormmon and Hawkmon while Hawkmon watched. Wormmon was carrying Pururumon on his head, who happily babbled as they did laps around the dining room table. As soon as Ken and Yolei came into view, Haruka’s head shot up and she beamed instantly.

“Mommy!” she shouted, dropping her crayon as she ran over to give Yolei a hug. Yolei wrapped her arms around her daughter and closed her eyes, reminding herself about what Ken said.

“How was your day?” she asked. She could feel the worried look that Hawkmon was giving her, and when she peeked one eye open she saw that she was right on the money.

“It was good! Pururumon and I had lots of fun at grandma’s! And look! I drew this picture of Hawkmon and Wormmon!” Haruka said, breaking from her mom’s hug to run and grab the picture, holding it up to her.

“I think she caught my good side really well,” Wormmon said as he turned to look at Yolei and Ken.

“It looks great, sweetie,” Yolei told her with a big smile, “She did, Wormmon,” she added. Wormmon brought two of his claws up to his face as he blushed gently.

“My dear, are you feeling better now?” Hawkmon asked. Yolei grimaced for a moment as she thought about it. Did she feel better? …Not entirely. But she was getting there. Slowly.

“…Mostly, yeah. I think I’ll just need to sleep this off,” she told him.

“Did the picture help?” Haruka asked hopefully.

“It did, yeah.”

Haruka cheered and started jumping in place happily.

“Mommy’s just going to sit down real quick…”

It took a bit to make her way over to the couch, the exhaustion from all that crying and sobbing having drained most of her energy, even after two full bowls of ramen, and the pregnancy definitely wasn’t making it easier. She wasn’t quite at the point of waddling yet, but she’d be getting there soon enough. She sat down next to Hawkmon, who looked over at her, concern still clear on his face.

“You’re sure you’re doing alright? Ken had mentioned what happened earlier and…” Hawkmon trailed off, not wanting to elaborate too much with the little one around.

“I’m doing a lot better than earlier, I promise, just…” she paused, afraid of asking, but she still had to know, “You’re… happy as my partner, right?”

Hawkmon’s eyes went wide, then he gently patted her arm, “There is no one else who I would’ve rather had pulled out the Digi-Egg of Love all those years ago.”

Yolei blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill again, and she leaned over to hug him.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and Hawkmon returned the hug.

“We have been through a lot and we will go through plenty more, I’m sure. If you ever need me to assure you that I am happy to be your partner, do not hesitate to ask.”

She opened up to Ken today, and had opened up to Hawkmon again… It wasn’t easy, but if she could keep going, keep doing this when things got tough and she felt like she was barely treading water, maybe it would help her see the good things more easily.

Even right now, she was still treading water, but seeing how happy her daughter was to see her, the unrelenting kindness her husband offer, and the meaningful words her partner offered her…

They really were just as lucky to have her as she was to have them.

Haruka clambered over to the couch and pulled herself up to sit next to her mother. She looked up at her and began to kick her legs, “Mommy, can we watch something before bedtime?”

“Haruka, I’m not so sure—” Ken started, taking a step forward. Yolei raised her hand and shook her head.

“Just for a little bit. But then you have to go to bed, ok?”

Haruka pouted and nodded, “Ok…” she said, before she leaned into her mother happily. Ken smiled gently and walked over to Wormmon to pick him and Pururumon up, and then moved to the couch, letting Haruka grab her Digimon before he sat on his daughter’s other side.

Just relaxing on the couch with her family, she could already feel herself getting a bit tired, but that wasn’t going to stop her from enjoying this little bit of family time. She yawned and grabbed the remote, then handed it to Haruka after, who quickly flipped through the channels before settling on a rerun of a magical girl anime she was a fan of.

“Ooh, this one’s really good!” she squeaked happily before gently petting Pururumon.

She could still feel that buzzing in her head, the voice in the back of her mind trying to scare her, but Yolei looked at her family and their Digimon partners, and let out a gentle sigh.

She had a good life with a good family, and she was going to do her best to keep reminding herself of that now and each day when things got rough. Maybe it wouldn’t always work that well, but she just had to believe in that.

As hard as it was, she just had to try and believe that she was capable of all the work her brain told her she wasn’t of earlier, and that she had the lifelong love of a family she thought she didn’t deserve. Because right now, as she looked at her daughter giggling, at her attentive partner, and at her happy husband, for the first time today she was slowly starting to feel at peace.

#campdigimonth2023 #digimon #digimon adventure 02 #yolei inoue #miyako inoue #ken ichijouji #digimon fanfiction #character study #sloanefics

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sloanerisette · 2 years ago

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How To Win Your Senpai In 10 Days Chapter 3 - Camp Digimonth 2023

Ok that was a long break between updates, sorry, BUT I wanted to get this chapter out by the end of January, and I managed to do it! This chapter is a LOT longer than the last one, because there was a lot I wanted to put in, and honestly there was a ton of editing I did because I kept adding stuff, taking stuff away, rearranging stuff, and I think ultimately I'm happy with where it is now. I didn't want it to feel too bloated, so I took out a few things, but I think this will be a very fun chapter!

I hope you all enjoy, because if this chapter is where things really start to heat up, from here on out it'll be a roaring fire!

If you want to read it on AO3 or comment, you can do so here!

Without further ado!

---

Yesterday it felt like the sky cracked open and fell apart all around her. Like the ground opened up and swallowed her hole, leaving her falling and flailing forever.

Mimi had to use all her strength not to cry in front of her parents over what had happened, and instead put on a brave, bright face for them over dinner as they talked about being back and asked how her time with her friends was.

Once she was heading off to bed, though, she stared down at her phone, looking at the last texts she had with Joe.

[Tachikawa Mimi]: We’re taking off in a few!

[Kido Joe]: Make sure you get plenty of rest on the way over.

[Tachikawa Mimi]: I will!

[Kido Joe]: And make sure you wipe down the tray table on the plane! Those things are ridden with germs.

[Tachikawa Mimi]: Way ahead of you!

[Tachikawa Mimi]: I’ll see you soon Joe, I can’t wait :)

[Kido Joe]: Me either. See you soon, Mimi.

Nothing since.

She felt guilty for not asking if he had gotten home safely, but she was still feeling too hurt to talk to him. She’d have to face Joe tomorrow at the picnic, but that would be something to handle at that point. For now, she wanted to lie in bed and wallow over all that had happened.

Mimi was never the type to wallow in sadness, she knew that, but right now her heart hurt too much to do anything else. Her phone had been abuzz both from her friends in New York and the other Digidestined about the flight to Japan, plans for tomorrow, what it was like being back after so long… and as much as she wanted to get in hours long conversations with them all and stay up well past midnight to talk, she just didn’t have it in her.

For now, she would just go to sleep and look forward to the fact that tomorrow she would be able to wake up and have a picnic with her friends. The last time that had happened was far too long ago and had been under less than ideal circumstances, and even if she wouldn’t be able to show up with Joe, hand in hand, she would still be with her favorite people in the world to enjoy the day.

As she slowly started to drift off to sleep, she held that thought close to her in hopes that it would ease her mind and heart even a bit.

Unfortunately, Mimi’s slumber wasn’t nearly as restful as she hoped it would be, instead plagued with the day’s events playing on repeat in her mind.

By the time she woke up, it wasn’t even 8 in the morning yet, and after a half an hour lying in bed, looking at the ceiling without being able to fall asleep, Mimi finally pushed herself out of bed.

She needed to busy herself and do something before she’d need to get ready for the day, and as she checked the kitchen, she was relieved to find that at some point yesterday her parents had gone to pick up ingredients to bake.

Even with the heavy weight hanging over her, Mimi couldn’t help but feel a bit excited at the prospect of making something for her friends after so long, and quickly got to work to prepare some treats for the picnic. She was in her element, and for now, working on this brand new cookie recipe to wow everyone kept all those painful thoughts at bay.

She settled on white chocolate and matcha cookies, given this was the first time in so long she actually had matcha to work with, and the combination sounded especially tantalizing to her. By the time they were in the oven, her parents were finally up, surprised at how much of a whirlwind the kitchen had become.

“You’re up early, sweetheart! I figured you would’ve wanted to sleep in after how busy yesterday was,” her father teased her gently.

With how focused she was on baking, Mimi’s smile was so bright, that she had to continue to force it now that the reminder of yesterday slammed back in her mind.

She had to keep up that smile so her parents wouldn’t get concerned. They came back to Japan and her parents were so happy to know she’d be able to spend time with her old friends again.

Mimi couldn’t just show them how she was feeling after all they had done to come back…

The brunette swallowed hard and forced a wider smile than before, “We’re all having a picnic today! I wanted to bake something nice since no one’s had a chance to try my treats in so long!”

Her voice broke a bit at the very end and Mimi internally cringed, praying they didn’t catch it.

“Oh! That sounds like such a great time! All of you have fun!” her mom chirped happily, and Mimi let out a quiet sigh of relief that it seemed to pass by with no issue.

“I will, mama, thanks,” Mimi smiled. Her mother moved to the oven and leaned forward to look at the baking cookies.

“They smell delicious!”

“It’s a new recipe I thought up! I think they’ll be a big hit!” Mimi said, “I made plenty for all of us, too!”

“Well, I can’t wait to try them!” her dad said.

Now her smile was a lot more genuine as pride welled up in her. Maybe she wasn’t feeling good, but knowing that she was in the process of making some amazing cookies her friends and family would love had her feeling just a bit better.

“I think I’m going to get ready while this first batch is baking,” Mimi finally said after a few moments.

“Do you want me to take them out for you when they’re done?” her mom asked.

“Please! You two can take as many from the first batch as you want!” she said, before running off to the bathroom.

After last night, a nice, hot shower was exactly what she needed, and she continually reminded herself that things would keep going. She would still be able to enjoy the day with her friends despite what happened with Joe.

Even if she had to quietly pine from afar, having her closest friends nearby would be enough to ease the pain of her aching heart. At least she hoped it would be.

After she was done, she put on her best sundress and did her hair and makeup before she checked her phone to see she had gotten a few new texts.

[Kido Joe]: Hey Mimi!

[Kido Joe]: Do you need a ride to the park today?

[Kido Joe]: I have my brother’s old car, so I can be there any time.

A sad smile settled on Mimi’s face, and she couldn’t stop the gentle flush that graced her cheeks.

Why did he have to always be so kind and thoughtful and considerate and helpful? It would’ve been easier to handle if he wasn’t, but… that was just Joe. Always thinking of others.

Her thumbs hovered over her phone screen, shaking slightly as she thought of what to say to him. After a moment she swallowed down her nerves and began typing away.

[Tachikawa Mimi]: Good morning! If it isn’t too much trouble, it would be great! I’m gonna have a lot of stuff to bring with me, and it’d be great to not have to take a bus over!

[Kido Joe]: Sure! Just let me know when you’re ready.

[Tachikawa Mimi]: Of course! I just gotta wait for some more cookies to finish but once they’re cooling I’ll text you!

[Kido Joe]: I’m excited to try whatever it is you’re making. I’ll see you soon.

[Tachikawa Mimi]: See you soon!

She could handle this. It would be no problem.

***

With two containers filled to the brim with cookies in her arms, Mimi barreled out the door, ready to head down and wait for Joe to get there. However, just a few steps out and she bumped into someone, causing both her containers and an armful of books to spill across the walkway.

“Oh no!” Mimi cried out, letting out a sigh of relief as she saw a second later that they were safe and sound.

Right after it clicked that she bumped into a person who had also spilled their things, too.

“I’m so sorry!” she cried out as her head whipped around to look at who she ran into.

A young woman, who couldn’t have been much older than her, with big, round glasses that made her eyes look almost owl-like and short, messy brown hair. She was wearing an oversized hoodie and a long, striped skirt that went to her knees. She had black shoes on and high socks to match. Mimi couldn’t help but think how they seemed like such complete opposites. She helped pick up one of the books that the girl hadn’t gotten yet and handed it to her.

“Don’t worry about it, it happens,” the girl told her as she took the book from Mimi and brought the stack of books to her chest as she started to stand up. Mimi grabbed her two containers of cookies that had thankfully remained sealed and dirt-free, and stood up, too, offering the girl a smile, which she returned.

“You’re not hurt or anything, are you?” Mimi asked, and the girl shook her head.

“I’m fine. Honestly, this many books is pretty usual for me, so it’s ok,” the girl said chuckled, “Are your… are those cookies…? Are they ok?”

Mimi laughed and nodded, “They’re cookies, yeah. Matcha and white chocolate chip. They’re ok, thankfully.”

“That’s an interesting combination,” the girl said, tilting her head curiously, “I’m sure whoever they’re for would have really missed out.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m having a big picnic with a bunch of my friends today and I decided to bake a ton of cookies. I’d feel awful if I wasn’t able to bring them these,” she said. A light bulb turned on in Mimi’s head and she opened up one of the containers and offered the girl a cookie, “Here, you can have one, too!”

The girl blinked in surprise, but took it and took a bite and started to nod to herself. Her eyes went wide and she looked down at the green and white cookie she held.

“This is really good, thanks,” she said when she swallowed. Mimi smiled wide.

“Of course! I’m glad you liked it! It’s a new recipe, so I was kinda nervous about it,” she said.

The girl laughed, “Well if the rest are that good, I’m sure there won’t be any complaints,” she said before popping the rest of the cookie in her mouth.

“Thanks!” Mimi chirped happily, “Oh! I’m Mimi, by the way.”

“Manami,” the girl returned with a nod, “Did you just move in?”

“Yeah! Right here,” Mimi said, pointing to the door behind her.

“I live just two doors down. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too!”

She had a new friend now— sort of. Though she wasn’t sure if they would be particularly close or hang out a lot, Mimi was always glad to meet someone new and make a new friend. However, Mimi’s eyes went back to Manami's books and she tilted her head curiously.

“I’m heading to the library to study today.”

“Really? But school hasn’t even started back yet!” Mimi cried out. Manami shrugged lightly.

“I know, but my classes this year are going to be pretty intense, so I want to get ahead of the game,” Manami told her.

Mimi couldn’t help but chuckle softly and Manami quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh! Sorry! I’m not laughing at you or anything. You just reminded me of a friend when you said that. He’s always studying and doing schoolwork, and most of the time we have to drag him along to do anything,” Mimi explained, unable to help but fall into a bout of giggles.

Manami ended up smiling and laughing, too, “I can relate to that a little too well. I’m kind of a workaholic.”

“Nothing wrong with that!” Mimi insisted with a nod. She always felt that way with Joe, especially with how important his academic future was to him, but, just like she told Manami, she always did her best to make sure he took care of himself. Even when she was across the world, she’d send the occasional text to try and remind him to take a break and take care of himself.

“Just make sure you take care of yourself, and it’s all fine, I think,” Mimi added with a smile, which Manami returned.

“Ah, I’m not keeping you from your picnic, am I?” she asked. Mimi blinked.

“Oh, no, don’t worry! My friend is on his way to pick me up but I don’t think he’s here yet,” she said.

“That’s a relief. Do you want to come down with me? I need to get to the bus stop before the next bus gets here,” Manami said as she adjusted the books in her arms slightly.

“Oh, sure!” Mimi chirped happily.

The two girls made their way down, talking briefly about Manami getting ready for her last year of high school and Mimi’s recent arrival back to Japan, and conversation flowed easily as they stood on the sidewalk while Manami waited for her bus.

The two girls laughed and made their way down, talking briefly about Manami getting ready for her last year of high school and Mimi’s recent arrival back to Japan, and conversation flowed easily between the two as they stood on the sidewalk while Manami waited for the bus to arrive.

“It was really nice meeting you today,” Manami said. Mimi beamed brightly.

“You, too! I didn’t have many classmates who lived near me back in New York, so it's nice to have someone close.”

“The people who lived in that apartment before you were this elderly couple. They were really kind, but they weren’t exactly people to really talk with.”

The two girls burst into a titter of giggles, and Mimi’s chest felt a bit lighter once again. When things took such a downward spiral yesterday, a part of her wondered when she’d feel better. But so far today she made a new friend in Manami and would be able to see all of her friends soon enough.

And that included Joe, even if seeing him would break her heart just as much as it would make it soar.

The sound of a car engine rumbling in the near distance caused both girls’ heads to turn, and that gnashing of conflicting feelings started to well up in her gut again. She kept up a smile, not wanting either Manami or Joe to see her so upset.

Even if he was dating someone else, she didn’t want to take it out on him. Even if it hurt like hell, she didn’t want him to think she didn’t support him.

“I hope you have a good time with your friends today.”

Manami’s voice stirred her from her thoughts, and Mimi smiled.

“Thanks! I hope studying goes well,” she said, offering her a small wave as Joe’s car pulled up to the street.

“Thank you,” she said simply. Mimi padded over to the car and opened the door, bracing herself all the while. Though the smile on her face was genuine, she still had to do everything she could to not show any pain.

“Morning, Joe!”

Joe offered her a warm smile as she poked her head in, hands still on the wheel, “Good morning, Mimi. How’re you?”

Admittedly, she couldn’t exactly be honest with that answer, but at least it would only be a white lie compared to a bold faced one.

“I’m doing good. Excited for the picnic!” she said brightly, holding up the container of cookies for him to see, “Also made something preeeeeeetty good, if I do say so myself.”

Joe chuckled gently, “Well you know I’ll never say no to anything you make,” he said. She tried to push down the elation she felt in that moment, unable to help but feel warm at just a few simple words.

“You ready to go?”

She nodded and got in the passenger seat, turning her head briefly as she heard Manami walk by.

“Bye!”

Manami turned her head and waved to Mimi and then stopped in place, eyes wide with surprise.

“Joe?”

Mimi’s head whipped around to look at Joe, whose jaw was slack and eyes wide.

“Manami?”

As her new friend came closer and closer, a bolt of realization struck Mimi and her eyes went wide, beads of sweat starting to form at her brow.

This couldn’t be happening. This had to just be a friend from school. It couldn’t be— it couldn’t be what she knew deep down it was.

She could feel her heart pounding in her ears as the girl she just met stopped at the side of the car.

“This is your friend who just moved back to Japan?” Manami asked, and Mimi felt utterly nauseous.

“Y-Yeah! I’d introduce you, but it looks like you two are already acquainted,” Joe said.

“Yeah, she lives just a few doors down from me,” Manami said.

“So, uh, Mimi… this is my girlfriend, Manami,” Joe said slowly, and though she felt like she couldn’t look at either of them in those moments, she forced herself to look over at Manami.

“It’s nice to meet you again, Manami,” Mimi said, letting out a soft, forced laugh.

After how low she ended up feeling yesterday, becoming friends with Manami had been a respite from it all. But that had been dashed in an instant, and she wanted nothing more than to sink under the dashboard and never come out.

“So you’re meeting all your friends for a picnic today?” Manami asked, then looked down at the containers of cookies Mimi held, “You should try and get as many of those as you can, they’re really good,” she added with a smile.

This was Joe’s girlfriend. The girl he chose while she was gone.

“Yep. Mimi thought of it yesterday while we were at lunch,” Joe smiled, “You’re going to the library today?”

Manami nodded, “Yeah, I want to try and get ahead on some of the things we’re going to learn in science this year.”

Manami would be at the library while the rest of them were going to have a good time together. She wouldn’t have to worry about any of this and could instead distract herself with the company of her friends. She could just—

“You should come with us!”

Both Joe and Manami looked at Mimi in surprise.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude on your group,” Manami said slowly.

No, Mimi wasn’t sure. Honestly she wasn’t even sure why those words spilled from her mouth so messily. A part of her wanted to see what they were like around each other, sure, but to bring her along? This was a day for their group, as Manami had said. But it was too late now, it was out there, and she couldn’t take it back.

“It’s fine with me… if it’s fine with Joe?” Mimi suggested. Maybe he would say no.

“Uh, sure, that sounds good,” Joe croaked out. Manami smiled and shuffled her books into one arm, then got in the back passenger door.

“Thanks for inviting me, Mimi.”

Mimi sank in her seat slightly.

“Of course. It’ll be great to have you there.”

The rest of the car ride had been painfully awkward, not just for Mimi, but for Joe as well, who was radiating anxious energy during the drive. His fingers drummed against the wheel at stops, and he was laser-focused on the road ahead. She was pretty sure even Manami was able to sense his awkwardness, with the way that she stayed quiet after her first few comments to Joe had been met with silence.

Frankly, the arrival at Odaiba Seaside Park had been a blessing, and it took all of Mimi’s restraint to stop herself from running off ahead to find Sora and cry. This picnic was her idea and there was no way she could ruin it at minute one.

Just about everyone else was there already, and they were all talking and having fun— something Mimi wasn’t entirely sure she could muster up today.

Tai, Kari, and Davis, and Ken were passing a soccer ball back and forth, while Yolei was sitting with Izzy as he typed away on his laptop, the clacks of the keys filling the air. Sora and Kari were deep in conversation, punctuating their words every so often with a laugh. As the three of them approached, Mimi forced a bright smile and waved to her friends.

The closer they got, though, the more of their friends that turned to greet them, and they were met by confused looks from most of the group.

“Hey Joe, Mimi, took you a while, huh?” Tai asked with a teasing grin on his face, barely catching the ball as Ken kicked it towards him.

“Sorry about that, we didn’t miss out on much, did we?” Joe asked.

“We’re just waiting on Matt, TK, and Cody. We had the idea of bringing along our Digimon, so they went to get everyone,” Izzy explained.

“That sounds great!” Mimi said, actually feeling genuine excitement for the first time today. She’d be able to see Palmon after so long, hug her, be able to cry to her, and they’d all be able to be around their partners. It would be just like old times…

“Yo, Joe, I didn’t know you had a sister!” Davis shouted out, and both Mimi and Joe cringed.

“You dork, he doesn’t have a sister,” Tai said, shaking his head as he took a few steps forward, “Obviously he brought his cousin along,” he added with a scoff.

Manami turned a faint shade of red and Joe grimaced. The attention of the entire group was on them, and suddenly he felt himself getting hot, and it wasn’t lost on Mimi as she looked at his face.

“A-Actually, you guys… I’m really sorry for bringing someone without letting everyone know, but… this is my girlfriend, Manami,” he said. Manami laced their fingers together and held up their hands, smiling as she adjusted her glasses.

Mimi’s gaze moved across the group of DigiDestined, trying to get an idea for how everyone was feeling at the news: Tai and Davis were wide-eyed with their jaws dropped, Sora’s lips were pursed in a thin line, her expression so neutral in a way Mimi wasn’t sure she had ever seen before. Ken and Kari both seemed surprised, but they offered her a simple smile, though it seemed to Mimi that Kari could sense the tension in the air just as well as her, and Yolei seemed… incensed.

“Wait, girlfriend? But I thought Joe was dating Mimi!” Davis shouted out, and Joe instantly turned a deep, beet red and he ducked his head. Mimi’s face heated up, and she averted her eyes from the group, unable to look at any of her friends, and especially unable to see what Manami’s face looked like in those moments.

Manami was silent for a moment, more confused than anything, before she let out an awkward laugh, “Oh, uh, no, that’s me,” she said.

Davis opened his mouth again, but instantly closed it as soon as he saw the look on Sora’s face.

“Sorry,” he peeped out after a brief few seconds of silence.

Tai’s eyes went wide as he looked at how serious Sora looked, then he craned his neck over to look at Izzy.

“Have you heard back from the guys yet?” Tai asked as he walked over to him.

“They’re almost at the Digital Gate, so we’ll be opening this up for them shortly,” Izzy said.

“I’m so excited to meet all of your Digimon,” Manami said as she folded her hands together, “I’ve never actually seen too many, besides that big one that was in the harbor a few years ago, let alone met any!”

“Our partners are all a really interesting bunch,” Sora smiled as she glanced over at Mimi, “It’s gonna be nice to see Palmon again, huh?”

Mimi let out a gentle sigh, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen her,” she frowned.

“It’s not fair that you guys don’t get to have your Digimon around as much!” Davis said.

“Well, we can always keep our partners with us for a while if we all want to,” Izzy said.

“Hopefully Gomamon doesn’t flood the tub again…” Joe sighed, before he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” Manami said with a wide smile.

“He’s great, but he’s… a lot. You’ll see what I mean.”

Manami laughed, and Mimi felt her heart ache again. Couldn’t they get this picnic started already so she could be preoccupied? Kari walked over towards Joe and Mimi.

“Do you have a partner, Manami?” Kari asked sweetly.

Manami shook her head, “Oh, no, I don’t, but I’ve been in the area my whole life, so I’ve seen just about everything that’s gone on,” she said, before looking up at her boyfriend, “Plus Joe has told me plenty of stories.”

A light bulb turned on in Ken’s head and he snapped his fingers.

“Joe borrowed your bike to help Davis and I get to the Rainbow Bridge, right?” he asked. Davis looked at him, then to Manami, then back to Ken, and then at Manami again.

“Whoa! You’re right! I didn’t even recognize you!”

Manami laughed gently, “Yeah, he sprinted over to me and told me about how his friends needed to get there to be able to stop an evil Digimon.”

Joe’s shoulders slumped, “It was a lot of trouble finding it after,” he sighed.

Davis rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from the oldest DigiDestined, “Oh… sorry about that…” he said quietly.

“Oh, it’s ok,” Manami said, waving it off, “We ended up finding it, and we watched you two defeat that huge Digimon. It was incredible!”

Davis beamed with pride.

“Oh, it looks like they’re ready, everyone stand back,” Izzy called out as he pushed himself up from the grass and stepped back. The group gathered around Izzy’s laptop in a wide half circle, all of the DigiDestined waiting with rapt attention.

The screen turned white, and a blinding light shot out, at which everyone covered their eyes. When the light died down, Matt, TK, Cody, and twelve Digimon were standing there.

“Maybe next time we should take a few trips,” Matt said, shaking his head, “I wasn’t sure if we were all going to fit.”

“Well, at least this is better than the computer lab. I don’t think we would’ve survived a dozen Digimon landing on top of us,” TK laughed before he waved to the group. As Matt glanced across everyone there, a brief look of surprise crossed his face as he noticed Manami. He fixed Joe with a hard glance, before he slowly lightened his expression.

“I hope you all weren’t waiting for us too long,” Cody said as he dusted off his shirt and pants.

“Nah, you’re good,” Tai said as he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder towards Joe, Mimi, and Manami, “They just got here, so you’re right on time.”

TK’s eyes widened as he noticed Manami, “Oh, I didn’t know you guys were bringing extra people,” he said.

“It’s good to see you again, Manami,” Matt greeted her simply. Mimi felt her heart sink. He already knew her?

“You too, Matt. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you and Sora.”

…Sora, too? She could feel tears start to well up in the corner of her eyes, and she blinked them away as quickly as she could, hoping no one else saw. She looked at Sora, who shot her a guilty, apologetic look.

“So, uh,” Joe cut in, “That’s Davis and Ken,” he said, gesturing to the two boys, at which Davis grinned and waved, “Izzy and Yolei, TK, Kari, and Cody, that’s Tai, and, well, you already know Matt and Sora.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you all! Joe’s told so many stories, and it’s great to put all these faces to your names,” she said as she offered the group a bow.

Joe felt himself heat up as Matt stared himself down, tugging at his collar to try and cool off a bit.

Luckily as soon as the introductions were done, everyone was immediately distracted by the herd of Digimon running forward to meet up with their partners.

“Mimiiiiiiii!” Palmon cried out, and at that point, Mimi couldn’t hold it back any longer. She let herself cry— this time, out of happiness, as she fell to her knees and pulled her partner into a tight hug. Palmon hugged her just as hard and started crying, too.

“Oh, Palmon, I’m so happy to see you. It’s been too long,” Mimi whimpered, burying her face in her partner’s shoulder.

“That just means we’ll have to have a great day!” Palmon cheered in between her own sobbing, patting Mimi on the back gently, “I’m so happy to see you, too, Mimi.”

“Do you want to… do you want to stay with me for a while?” Mimi asked, finally pulling herself away, her eyes watering and her lip wobbling.

“I’d love to!” Palmon grinned.

Mimi cried again, this time a rougher sob, and she buried her face in her hands for a moment as she tried to gather herself. At this point, Palmon stopped crying, and looked over her partner in concern.

“Mimi, are you ok?”

“I-I’m ok, Palmon, really. I’m just… so happy to see you. I really needed this,” she said as she wiped her eyes.

A couple yards away, Gomamon had all but flown towards Joe, nearly knocking him over as he leapt into his arms. Manami laughed at the sight.

“Oh, Joe, old buddy, old pal! You actually decided to pull your nose out of those books, huh?” Gomamon teased as he patted his partner on the shoulder. Joe’s chest felt warm at his partner’s teasing, but fixed him with a deadpan stare.

“Great to see you too, Gomamon,” he droned, unable to keep it up for too long before his face cracked into a smile.

“It’s always great to see me!” Gomamon winked, before he looked at Manami and blinked.

“Did you bring your cousin?”

A deep blush consumed Joe’s face and he furrowed his brow, “She’s not— this is my girlfriend, Manami.”

Gomamon seemed shocked, tiny jaw dropped as he looked at his partner.

“Huh, I didn’t expect that,” Gomamon said. Joe looked at Manami and mouthed an ‘I’m sorry’ to her.

“Who did he expect?” Joe thought to himself.

Thankfully, besides the brief flush of embarrassment, Manami moved past it quickly enough, “It’s good to meet you, Gomamon. Joe’s told me so much about you.”

“Of course he has!” Gomamon said triumphantly, “I bet he’s told all of our best stories!”

“Well he did tell me about the time you ate all their rations while you two were lost in the ocean on a… mattress?” Manami said as she placed a finger on her chin, trying to remember.

“It was a whole bed, thankfully,” Joe said.

Gomamon puffed out his cheeks, “Oh, so that’s the story you tell? Not any of our cool ones?” he asked, and Joe started to laugh.

“Relax, I told her about everything,” he smiled.

Gomamon’s brow raised, “Wow, I’m not used to you joking around this much.”

“I made one joke, Gomamon.”

“I know,” Gomamon grinned. There was a beat of silence, and then Manami just about doubled over with laughter.

“You two are so cute!” she said, wiping a tear from her eye once she started to calm down a bit. Gomamon looked over at her with a proud smile on his face.

“I like her,” he said.

Joe was transfixed on Manami in those moments, a fond smile gracing his features.

“Me, too.”

***

Sora and Biyomon walked over to Mimi and Palmon, and Sora squatted down to be on Mimi’s level.

“Are you alright?”

“You know her?” Mimi whispered, and Sora’s eyes went wide. She could already piece everything together just based on how painful it seemed to be for Mimi to say those three words.

“He never told you about her?” Sora asked as she felt all the air pushed from her lungs. She turned her head to look at Joe, Manami, and Gomamon, then focused back on Mimi, now adjusting herself to sit cross-legged on the ground.

“He didn’t tell any of us about her besides you two,” Mimi said, unable to help the harsh edge in her voice, swallowing a lump in her throat and letting out a shaky breath before continuing, “And I poured my heart out to him yesterday.”

Mimi choked out a weak sob and in that moment Sora felt her heart break.

“You—”

“Told him I love him? Yes,” she said, mere moments from crumpling as her shoulders shook, “And he decided the right time to tell me about his girlfriend was right then.”

Sora was getting angrier with each word Mimi said, and when she looked over at Matt who was busy talking with Tai and Izzy, she could tell from the look on his face that he was feeling the exact same way. She distracted herself from it in that moment as she pulled Mimi into a tight hug, which the two Digimon quickly joined in on.

“I’m so, so sorry, Mimi. I’m so sorry,” Sora whispered.

“It’s…”

Ok? Of course it wasn’t.

But what else was she supposed to do? She promised herself she wouldn’t take it out on him. That wasn’t fair on him. Even if she wanted to be, she just couldn’t manage to be mad at him.

“It’s fine,” Mimi choked out, forcing a smile on her face as she briefly pulled away from the hug. Seeing how strong Mimi tried to look in those moments left Sora pulling her into another hug, and Mimi melted into her friend’s arms and let out a quiet sigh. Once she managed to calm down a bit, she wiped her eyes and pulled away, and Mimi swallowed a lump in her throat.

“So… you and Matt know her?” Mimi asked slowly, and Sora once again had that guilty look on her face as she looked away.

“Y-Yeah,” she choked out, “We ran into them one weekend while Matt and I were out. We were just as surprised as you are.”

“Oh.”

“Mimi… are you ok…?” Palmon asked, and Sora turned back to see that Mimi seemed on the verge of tears again.

“I-I’m fine, Palmon,” she said, silently glad she had decided to put on waterproof makeup this morning.

Footsteps stomped over, and both girls looked to see Yolei and Hawkmon approaching. Yolei looked as mad as she seemed when Joe introduced his girlfriend to the group.

However, as soon as she reached her seniors, Yolei’s expression softened, and she too, squatted down and hugged Mimi.

If there was anything good about all of this, it was that she was getting a lot of love from the people she loved most.

“I’m so sorry, Mimi, oh my god. Oh my god I’m so, so sorry,” the words spilled from her lips messily.

“Thanks, Yolei.”

“I have so many tuna mayo onigiri for you! You can have literally all of them today, I'll fight Ken if he even gets near them.”

Mimi coughed out a laugh, and this time the few tears that spilled from her eyes were from laughter.

“You’re the best,” Mimi said as they finally pulled away, “I know I suggested the picnic, but would it be bad if I just stayed with you guys the whole time? Or at least… didn’t go near Joe?”

“Not at all!” Yolei chirped immediately.

“You’ve been dealing with a lot. We can all hang out with you today if it’ll help,” Sora smiled.

Mimi was glad to have such good friends.

“Yolei, you don’t mind coming with me to help get the food set up, do you?” Sora asked.

“Not at all,” Yolei said as she shook her head, “Will you be ok until then, Mimi…?”

Mimi nodded, “I’ll be ok, promise,” she said before she handed the containers of cookies to the girl, “Do you mind taking these over, too? I made cookies.”

Yolei let out a wistful sigh, “You are literally the best,” she beamed.

“We’ll be right back, Mimi,” Sora said, waving goodbye as the two girls and their partners walked over to the small caravan of coolers.

“Ok everyone! We’re going to get lunch ready!” Sora shouted as she clapped her hands, getting everyone’s attention in an instant.

Mimi watched as all their friends gathered around Yolei and Sora, everyone getting plates full of food. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched everyone excitedly grab her cookies, unable to stop the laughter from bubbling from her throat as she watched Davis stuff a few in his mouth right away. That joy disappeared just as quickly when Manami grabbed a few for herself, Joe, and Gomamon.

Thankfully, she didn’t have too long to be caught in her thoughts, as Yolei was rushing back as quickly as she could.

“Mimi! I got you so much stuff!” she called out, panting for breath as she finally stopped in front of her senior and offered the plate. Hawkmon was a few steps behind her, carrying a plate stacked high with food.

“It’s a wonder you didn’t drop all of that everywhere!” Hawkmon chided, before he sat down, shaking his head and tutting at his partner’s behavior. Yolei smirked before she handed Mimi a plate of food and sat down next to her partner.

“Thanks, Yolei,” Mimi said before she picked up one of the many onigiri that was stacked on her plate. She picked it up and took a bite, allowing herself a few moments of peace to quietly enjoy it, as bittersweet as it was. She had missed delicious, convenience store snacks like this, and to be able to enjoy it surrounded by friends was something just as special. But with all she had been thrown into, even the simple joy of her favorite snack had lost some of its luster.

As Sora and Kari walked over, they could see the hurt clear on Mimi’s face.

***

As Matt walked towards their little group, Joe could immediately feel the danger he was in. The way blonde’s eyes were narrowed at him, his stiff body language, and the way his fists were clenched, Joe felt his fight or flight response screaming in his brain. Somehow Manami and Gomamon hadn’t seemed to notice, and in fact, Manami waved to Matt in greeting.

“Hey Matt, do you wanna hang out with us?” she asked. Matt’s expression lightened and he put on a smile.

“Actually, I was hoping I could talk to Joe for a few minutes? Just some…”

Matt’s eyes narrowed on Joe again, and he swallowed hard.

“Guy chat.”

“Oh, sure! Gomamon and I will go find Sora, then. See you in a few,” she said, waving goodbye to Joe with her fingers before she padded off across the park to the girls. Gomamon flopped over her shoulder and waved exaggeratedly to Joe.

“Well, at least Gomamon will have someone to help take care of him when I die…”

“What is wrong with you?” Matt hissed under his breath as soon as the two were out of earshot.

“I— I—” Joe stuttered.

Matt folded his arms as he stared down his friend, “Well?”

“Mimi… told me how she felt about me last night when I dropped her off…” he said, unable to look at Matt in those moments. He rubbed the back of his neck, his face hot just knowing how Matt was glaring at him.

“And you brought her along today? The hell is wrong with you?”

Joe’s eyes went wide as they snapped to Joe, and he shook his head, “No! No no no! I didn’t plan on that! Really!”

Matt took a deep breath and then let out a slow exhale to calm himself, “Then what happened?” he asked, unable to keep the slight bite out of his words.

“So I asked Mimi if she wanted me to pick her up, since I just… you know… wanted to offer that same friendship I always have. I wanted to make sure things wouldn’t change because of what happened yesterday,” he started.

“So, uh, when I went to pick her up, Manami saw us… Apparently she and Mimi are neighbors now…” he sighed, the information still turning over in his mind uncomfortably, “And Mimi asked if she wanted to come along.”

Matt quirked an eyebrow curiously, quiet for a few moments, before he shook his head and moved some hair out of his eyes.

“I can’t believe you, man,” he huffed out.

“How was I supposed to know Mimi liked me!?” Joe asked.

“Anyone with eyes can tell,” Matt shot back, “You even knew she liked you.”

Joe threw his arms up in the air, “I didn’t think she would still like me! It’s been so long since then that I just figured…”

Matt rolled his eyes, “You’re the only one.”

The blonde ran a hand through his hair as he looked over to see Manami with the girls, sitting between Sora and Mimi.

“I-I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to drop everything like this…” Joe grimaced. He struggled to swallow down a lump in his throat.

“You don’t have to apologize to me,” Matt told him.

“…Yeah, I’ll… I’ll try and find a chance to apologize to her,” Joe nodded slowly. He owed it to her after yesterday. Seeing her like that had been tough, and it was why he wanted to offer that olive branch by driving her over.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone else about Manami?” Matt asked. Joe scratched at his cheek and sighed.

“It wasn’t on purpose. I mean, we’ve just been so busy that I haven’t had many chances to talk to anyone,” he shrugged. Matt fixed him with a steely gaze as he put his hands in his pockets.

“Why didn’t you tell Mimi?”

Joe froze, slowly turning his head to look at his friend.

“Uh, well, to be honest…”

***

The sun was slowly starting to make its way to the horizon, the sky turning orange against the deep blue water that was right by the park. The small group of girls— sans Manami— were sitting together near some of the boys playing soccer.

“I still can’t believe he brought his girlfriend that none of us knew about,” Yolei huffed out as she angrily took a bite of one of Mimi’s cookies.

Kari and Hawkmon sat next to Yolei quietly, unsure of how to react. Gatomon had finished eating and was curled up in Kari’s lap, asleep. After a bit, Kari cleared her throat.

“He is usually really busy, plus he goes to school pretty far from the rest of us…” she reasoned, “We know how he throws himself in his work, after all…”

“But the fact of the matter is, why would he date someone else when Mimi is right here!” Yolei shouted a little too loudly as she wildly gestured to her, causing Kari and Sora to cringe.

“I mean, I would be lucky and honored to date Mimi. Anyone would be,” Yolei added with a shrug.

Mimi sighed as she looked down at the last bite of onigiri, “I wish we could’ve moved back sooner.”

It was a selfish thought, but she couldn’t help it.

Mimi ate that last bite and began to chew, when Yolei’s eyes went wide and she clapped them against her knees.

“You gotta win your man, Mimi,” she said, deathly serious.

“Yolei, no,” Kari and Sora both immediately said, though that didn’t deter her.

“I mean, I don’t know Joe that well, but everyone can tell how into each other you two are,” Yolei said. Sora grimaced.

“Am I wrong?” Yolei asked, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

“…No,” Kari said quickly.

“Even if you aren’t,” Sora started with a look that brooked no argument, “You can’t just try and get in between their relationship,” Sora told Mimi.

“I would never,” Mimi said, “He means too much to me to ever do something like that.”

Kari smiled and Yolei frowned.

“That’s our Mimi,” Kari said, and as Mimi looked at Tai’s younger sister, she returned the smile.

“But—”

That one word seemed to spark something in Mimi’s mind.

But she had waited years to come back so the two of them could have their relationship.

Mimi had these feelings for a long time, and she knew Joe had them for at least a while, too. She obviously didn’t want to take any of this out on Joe, or not be supportive of his relationship, but… was it entirely wrong for her to be upset about this?

That was Joe. That was the Joe she had known for years ever since they ended up in the Digital World and became best friends. That was her Joe, and if she hadn’t been whisked away to New York, they’d probably be a thing right now, right?

The thought kept burrowing deeper into her mind, refusing to let go.

It wasn’t right for her to get in between Joe and Manami’s relationship, but…

…Didn’t she deserve a chance to fight for him? At least a little bit? After she laid it all out for him, only to have her heart shattered and to still be hurting?

She had been waiting so many years for the two of them to have a chance at a relationship, and she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. Not when she, not so deep down, wanted to try and get Joe to see that they belonged together, because even if she wanted nothing more than for him to be happy, she still wanted that happiness to be with her.

There was no way she could ever say it, but now the thought was stuck there: she had to win her man.

#campdigimonth2023 #digimon #digimon adventure #digimon fanfiction #jyoumi #joe kido #jou kido #mimi tachikawa #sloanefics

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