Chapter Text
He had a cut on his foot. Which was absurd, because no one had succeeded in injuring him in years, not giant belligerent digimon, not disgruntled upperclassman, and certainly not his judo competition. Yet, the annoying redhead from so called Chosen Children managed to not only slide-tackle him, but also slice open his ankle on his blunt cleats.
Wow. He loathed to admit it, but he was impressed.
And a little wounded, because he was supposed to be the untouchable, unflappable genius, and he got tripped up by a frankly mediocre soccer player and clumsy leader.
He had no choice but to admit that there must be something more to Motomiya Daisuke than what was immediately apparent. Really, there had to be something.
Ken refused to sulk about it as his team packed up, victory still thrumming in his veins, and kept up his usual air of refined equanimity.
And, then, the maggot came running on up.
Without his goggles, Motomiya looked bare, but the nervous, sugary smile on his face tried valiantly to make up for it. It failed, unsurprisingly.
“Ichijouji-kun!” Motomiya was calling, all antsy excitement and awe, and it was such a contrast to the annoyance’s usual indignant yelling that Ken was sardonically surprised. He met Motomiya with a cool, relaxed smile, noting the genuine concern in the maggot’s brown eyes.
Ridiculous. “Is your leg alright? You got hurt, right?” The fool inspected the cut with a frown, scratching his head apologetically.
While interacting with others, it was often more beneficial to play nice and pretend to be unhurt and uninjured by another’s accident. Of course, he didn’t need to lie. He could brush off such a slight abrasion any time. “It’s alright, nothing to worry about.”
Motomiya brightened up instantly, smiling with both relief and eager happiness. It was bizarre to find Motomiya so cautious and friendly. Ken was used to seeing him all bristled up with (not so) righteous fury, and laughably reckless.
“Thank goodness! But no wonder you’ve got such a reputation, we weren’t a match for you at all!” Ken tried to keep his expression within normal, casual smile parameters. He knew for a fact that he did a damn good modestly bashful.
“I’d say that play of yours was wonderful,” he said, barely managing to contain the irony that was simply overflowing within him. “I had thought you’d be on the opposite side!”
Motomiya blushed.
Blushed.
Blushed.
Oh no. No. That—that would be absurd.
Ken was used to...attention. He was well aware that he was deemed aesthetically pleasing to most people, young and old, and while it was something he often either used to his advantage or pretended to ignore, more often than not it made him uncomfortable. The praise his appearance gained in newspapers and television spots often disturbed him, considering the commenters were usually much older than him. And too often was he subtly propositioned by his peers; it made his skin crawl and never failed to incite his distaste for the fools around him. Disgusting maggots had no right to think of him as some kind of prize.
And now, the leader of the Chosen Children blushed bashfully, pleased with his praise.
It was...intriguing.
Motomiya laughed modestly, “well, since there was such a gap in the score, I figured we had no choice but go for the leader.”
“Oh?” It would seem the maggot wasn’t as brainless as his actions usually suggested. “Well, that was the first time we couldn’t score with that formation.” Just the slightest compliments could go a long way, but his words were more than just flattery. Never before had his team, trained to follow his directions as seamlessly as a well-oiled machine, failed to close the game with formation D. And certainly, no one had ever successfully slide-tackled him as he was lining up for his shot.
Maybe the maggot was a worthy opponent after all. Unpredictable in all facets, it would seem.
Motomiya looked delighted. “Really?”
“Yes. Motomiya Daisuke-kun, was it? It was nice playing with you.” Usually he hated being touched, especially by unclean, unworthy hands. But for once, his hand tingled in anticipation as he rose it to shake Motomiya’s in the classic sham show of good sportsmanship.
Motomiya’s smile was almost blindingly bright as he reached out as well, stuttering slightly in his own excitement. “Sa-same to you!”
The other’s hand was warm and sweaty, but the center of his palm was cool from nervousness. Ken kept his quiet smile on with long-practiced self-discipline, but a part of him wanted to laugh at his opponent’s blatant weakness.
Of course, just as he was reaffirming his own superiority, the unexpected happened. Unpredictable? Definitely.
Motomiya reluctantly let go of his hand to scratch his head again, blushing three shades darker. It wasn’t entirely a bad look on him. “And, uh, to make up for the whole scratching you thing, I was wondering if I could take you somewhere…?”
‘Take me somewhere?’
What?
What?
Wait, was the little maggot actually suggesting what Ken’s honed deduction skills were telling him he was hinting at?
Was Ken being asked on a date?
With the goggle-headed leader of the Digidestined?
Was this really happening?
And for the first time in months, Ken hesitated, and froze.
And guessing from the heat he felt burning in his cheeks, now he was blushing as well.
It wasn’t like he wasn’t asked on dates often, but that was by his classmates and peers, who were all ignorant little worms that didn’t interest him. But this? This was the leader of his enemies, the head of the obnoxious guard dogs Gennai had set up in a lame, half-aborted attempt at stopping him from tearing the world he had once saved apart.
What did he do?
Say no?
Well, normally any such offers would be rejected immediately, though he was usually tactful about it. But this was an opportunity to slither in among the enemy and gain a serious psychological advantage over his foes.
Letting it slip by would be impractical and a strategically poor move, and he had never before passed up such an opening.
“I’m really busy, so I can’t immediately agree, but how about I give you my number? We can try to work out a time.” More like buy time for him to properly think through the thousands of ways this could go in his favor or completely wrong. Gambles like this had to be measured carefully.
Motomiya lit up like sparked magnesium. Ken almost went blind. “Really? Yes, that’d be great! I’ll text you a bunch of ideas and times and stuff! Wanna see a movie? Go to dinner? Or we could play more soccer or do whatever you wanna do—”
“That all sounds lovely.” He hummed, accepting the cell Daisuke pushed into his hands and typing his number into a new contact. A movie would be safest, because it would limit the amount of talking that actually happened, and eat up a period of time. But he hated most of the drivel that was produced.
Well, he’d retreat for now.
But he definitely wasn’t running away.
“You seem pleased, even if you didn’t win.” Taichi pointed out as they left the field.
In fact, Daisuke was more than pleased. He was, like, delighted. “‘Daisuke-kun’! That genius remembered my name! The genius agreed to hang out with me!”
Takeru gave him a look. Daisuke didn’t even care. “He technically didn’t say yes, you know. He just said he’d think about it.”
“Nuh-uh! He said we’d work out a time!” Which was totally just a shy way of saying yes. Ichijouji Ken, shy! That was so cute!
Miyako rolled her eyes. She was totally jealous. Well, she should have played soccer and worked on her slide tackles if she wanted a date with the Rocket. “He was being subtle Daisuke, something you obviously don’t pick up on.”
But Daisuke just let the words go in one ear and out the other, sticking his tongue out a all the critics. They were just bitter because they were all still hopelessly single.
Ken deliberated for a solid three hours. That was actually a long time, considering how fast his mind worked.
(The phone buzzed.)
And the only answer he found was that the pros outweighed the cons. It was too good to pass up.
(The phone buzzed, again.)
He wanted to pass up. He wanted to go for it. He didn’t know what he wanted, but he did know he was nervous.
(Again.)
Unacceptable! The Digimon Emperor did not get nervous because some pea-brained twit with nice eyes asked him on a date. Especially not when the twit was the only almost worthy opponent he’d encountered in years!
(Again!)
This time, Ken snatched the phone off his desk and furiously punched in the keys for a new message.
Sounds great. He didn’t bother to look at whatever inane proposition Motomiya had made, or what he had just agreed to. Instead, he just tossed the phone on the bed and ignored how hot his face suddenly felt.
It was a sound plan. A clever one. He should be preening in his own ingenuity right now, but instead, he felt… anxious.
Absurd. Ridiculous. Farcical. Incongruous.
There wasn’t a word to describe how utterly preposterous this was.
He had no idea what he should wear. Something innocuous, obviously, as just because Motomiya hadn’t made the connection between his voice and that of the Emperor didn’t mean that he wouldn’t connect the dots if Ken wore something blue or indigo.
Which was the color of most of his casual clothes.
Well.
Something comfortable and inconspicuous was a necessity, since half the country could recognize him at first glance in his school uniform.
But something that looked good--
“Ken-chan, try this!” A voice called from his closet, and a green body led by pincers backed out of the cabinet, pulling along a long-sleeved red V-neck and black pants.
Red and black, those colors just screamed, ‘hey, I’m a diabolical genius! I’m evil!’
But he didn’t have any better ideas, so he pulled the garments out of the caterpillar’s claws with a glare and got changed, refusing to acknowledge Wormmon’s assistance.
In front of the mirror he saw the outfit’s appeal. While conservative, the shirt showed quite a bit of neck and collarbone, and the deep color contrasted with his pale skin, and had the added benefit of making his hair look a bit darker.
Honestly, his hair color was so inconvenient. A mix of indigo and violet, it was too unique a color, especially since the Digimon Emperor was known for his imperial blue hair. Not that he would ever dye it, as it was such a prominent connection to his late brother.
Hopefully the color theory would prevent Motomiya from noticing. He brushed his hair perfectly straight to be safe, flattening it down until there wasn’t a strand out of place.
“Oh, Ken-chan, you look pretty!” The nuisance cooed from the bed.
“Shut up.”
Seduction was a power within itself after all.
Daisuke was so nervous he could almost throw up. He didn’t usually feel anxious about much of anything, but today seemed to be the exception. Funny how he could dash right into danger without a second thought, but a single genius with amethyst eyes could make him quiver in his boots.
He had consulted everybody he knew about his outfit, and was proud to say that today he was much less of a walking fashion disaster than usual. Even Miyako had given him a passing grade, and that was something that hadn’t happened in years.
But would it be enough to impress the gorgeous boy genius? (Even Iori called Ken perfect, Iori. That’s how you knew somebody was really, really attractive.)
Daisuke was anxious to find out.
He was so anxious, he probably knocked on the door too loudly.
“Coming,” a muffled voice called from inside, and moments later, the beauty himself pulled open the door.
And Daisuke’s heart skipped a beat, then resettled itself into a steady high paced salsa.
Ken was lovely. Delicate face framed by dark tresses, with clear crystal eyes and a soft smile, it was everything Daisuke remembered and more, because instead of the loose soccer uniform he wore yesterday, Ken was wearing a V-neck that revealed the prettiest throat Daisuke had ever had the blessing to gaze at.
“It’s good to see you again, Motomiya-kun.” And his voice, ahh, it was soft and sweet but confident and resolute, and just heavenly.
Right, okay, you can do this, Daisuke. Talking is easy.
“Hey, hope I’m not late!” Good. A nice casual greeting that expressed how much he cared about being here, without sounding too eager. Good one, Dai!
Ken smiled, and part of Daisuke wanted to just swoon. Thankfully, he didn’t, though he was pretty sure his cheeks were coloring. “You’re right on time actually. Shall we head out now, or would you like tea?”
“Well, I hoped we could grab lunch before the movie, so how about we go to that diner down the street? I passed it on the way here.”
“That sounds lovely.” Whew. Okay. All good so far.
Feeling a little relieved, and no small parts ecstatic, Daisuke led the way back to the elevator, sticking close to his date’s side. Ken walked with brisk, confident steps. The grace of the movements was a little mesmerizing, but he managed to keep it together enough to hear what the genius said next. “I hope the trip wasn’t too far.”
Daisuke chuckled. “Not at all!” With all the trekking they did around the digital world, chasing after the endlessly expanding lines of Dark Towers and sniffing at the Emperor’s heels, a simple train ride and a little walking was nothing. “My friends and I tend to wander all over the place, so I’m pretty used to travel.”
Slanted eyes observed him curiously, “Oh, do you go on trips often?”
Oh god, Ken Ichijouji was asking him about his hobbies. Best day ever. “Yeah, camping! And the beach too, sometimes. We also kind of just run around the city chasing di—er, lost pets!” In his excitement, he almost slipped up, but managed to catch himself and cover it up just in time. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he scratched at the back of his neck, but Ken didn’t seem to find anything suspicious in his words, just continuing the conversation with mild interest.
“Are you a member of a community service club?”
“Nah, it just happens somehow.” He laughed helplessly, switching topics. “I am a member of the computer club though!” Though Daisuke had to watch what he said, the conversation was progressing smoothly, and miraculously without a hint of awkwardness. Ken was charming with his relaxed, fluid demeanor, and Daisuke found it easy to talk with him rather than intimidating.
This could work.
The mention of a STEM topic seemed to entice the other, “Really? Do you enjoy programming or working with systems?”
“I actually just play the games the others make…” Daisuke laughed. He couldn’t even try to pretend to know anything about computers or programming, or evenscience in general. Their club wasn’t even a real technology club: it was just a shaky cover for the Chosen activities. “Miyako programs though! She get’s lessons from Izumi-sempai, who is our senior. He’s a computer genius!” He felt it was a good idea to talk about his friends, since if all went well on this date, he’d get to introduce them to his prospective boyfriend. Boyfriend! Great, he was starting to sound like his sister.
“What’s his full name? I may have heard of him.”
“Izumi Koushirou.”
“Ah, yes. Some work by him was featured in a recent magazine highlighting local highschool students involved in STEM projects.”
Oh, hook, line, and sinker. “I can introduce you if you wanna talk to him about geniusy-stuff!” He partially joked, and Ken laughed, laughed, and he had heard about people who laughed like bells or something, and he figured this is must be what that sounded like. It was such a cute sound!
Daisuke hadn’t been able to stop smiling since Ken had opened the door, but now he was positive his cheeks would ache tomorrow from grinning too much. A bubbly happiness was expanding in his chest, the best butterfly feeling he’d ever had.
“I would like that,” Ken agreed, “But first, how about that lunch?”
With a quiet yelp, Daisuke backpedaled, realizing suddenly that in his euphoria, he had walked right past their destination. Ken laughed again, softly and quickly, before gracefully heading inside, throwing a teasing glance over his shoulder.
The following flick of dark hair was almost challenging.
And Daisuke hurried after, heart soaring right out of his chest.
They chatted over lunch, Daisuke about his family, friends, soccer, and videogames, Ken nodding along and smiling in this ridiculously sweet, small way. He managed to turn the topics in Ken’s direction many times, asking about his taste in novels and movies, and the recent programming competition. The genius in turn tried to downplay his achievements, modestly mentioning the talents of all others involved; but he spoke passionately about some fancy books Daisuke had never even heard of about some kind of psychology or something. He couldn’t really relate, but the way Ken spoke so honestly and thoroughly on the topic was more than enough to keep him interested.
Plus, the way he ate was amazing. Daisuke never really thought he’d say that, but Ken made just about everything look like an art. Ken was all perfect grace and posture, with flawless manners. His mother would be swooning over his table-side manner, Daisuke was sure.
Alright, so Daisuke was maybe swooning a little himself.
After lunch they headed towards the theatre, talking about a recent video game. Daisuke about his experience playing it, Ken about the programming of the game mechanics; both listening intently to the other despite the juxtaposition.
They bought tickets to a sci-fi space adventure flick that Miyako, Iori, and Izumi had recommended, so Daisuke was confident there would be something in the film to interest them both. Settled into the comfortable seats of the theatre, Daisuke slightly mourned the loss of visibility as the lights dimmed, unable to make out the intricacies of Ken’s features in the dark. But the contact of his arm against Ken’s, the warmth of the touch, made up for it, just a little.
As the movie progressed, it felt natural to slip an arm over the top of Ken’s seat and rest it along his back. For the slightest second, he felt Ken tense, and nearly retreated, before Ken relaxed into the half embrace.
Nice, Daisuke!
The movie was good and exciting, though Daisuke couldn’t help but think his own adventures were much cooler. Still, he babbled about it as they went out into the cool evening air, joking and reiterating moments he found striking. Ken lead them to the local park, and in the orange evening light he was stunning, pale skin radiant and hair the color of the night sky. They sat on the swings there, talking casually as they watched the sun set between the building and swaths of color that streaked across the sky.
It was perfect.
And then, it was over. It was time to go home, before it got too late for him to safety ride the trains back. He was reluctant to go, but Ken pointed out that his parents would probably worry if he stayed out longer.
He felt a little down put as he walked Ken back to his apartment, wishing the trip could take longer or time could just rewind a little, just to drag this dream out a bit longer. But before he knew it, they were back in front on the door he had knocked on so nervously hours before.
“Uh, hey, I had a great time today.” He confessed awkwardly, grasping at the courage he usually felt in the Digital World. But apparently it was easier to yell at evil geniuses than talk softly with pretty ones. Not that the Emperor was unatt—
Nope. Not thinking that. Definitely not.
“Me too,” Ken agreed, shyly, a slight color in his cheeks. He suddenly seemed timid, fiddling with his hands, and all of Daisuke’s nerves got swept away.
“Then let’s do this again! How about next weekend?”
Ken colored further, not quite meeting Daisuke’s eyes. “Sure.” He agreed, still a little tentative. “I’ll see you then?” The question was a little unsure, and Daisuke grinned.
“For sure!” Feeling brave, Daisuke reached for Ken’s still twisting hands, taking one as he drew the other in closer. The genius stiffened, again, but Daisuke planted a quick kiss on his cheek quickly before releasing him with a smile. “Good night, Ken.”
Flushed, the other nodded, scrambling for his door and retreating inside as Daisuke turned to head out with a wave. “Text me!” he called to the single crystal eye that gleamed at him from beyond the doorframe. He couldn’t help chuckling to himself when the gaze tracked him all the way down the hallway.