Tough love [KEN/HAPTIC!]

[MINAMOTO KOUJI]

Today started off as a normal day, Kouji was about to go onto Digimon Online to visit Strabimon once again. He had gotten used to the idea of getting on and visiting his partner, soon after they greeted each other they usually went in search of Kouichi and Lopmon. Unfortunately, Kouji had noticed that their cousin, Osamu Ichijouji, had been making appearances in the game and apparently that freaked out his baby cousin. Ken had not left his room in weeks-if not months. It was slowly starting to get on the boy's nerves. Every time he went to the digital world, Wormmon would be attached to his leg and asking how Ken was doing. The fact that Ken had not even checked in with his digimon infuriated the boy and he decided he was going to do something about it.

After tossing on his clothes and brushing his teeth, the teen forced open the door of his cousin's room and proceeded to surprise the smaller male by tossing him over his shoulder and walking out-Ken in tow. Thankfully, Ken was dressed by then, but in the meantime it was rather easy for the older boy to snatch his cousin and bring him to the digital world with him. Kouji was four inches taller and had a lot more muscle than his cousin. So far, he was the tallest out of Ken, Kouichi and himself, and he was fine with that. He was not a fan of being the second-youngest, so he had to use something to his advantage. That, and the fact that Kouji was a skilled martial artist had something to do with the fact that he hoisted his baby cousin onto his shoulder with ease. He had been training harder since he met Kouichi, wanting to make sure he could protect his nii-san if Kouichi ever needed him. Things had gotten pretty bad these past few months, and his brother was stressed. Unfortunately the calming factor the older twin had on the younger did not always seem to work. Kouichi snapped at him a grand total of once, and Kouji made it quite clear he did not appreciate it when he did snap at him-almost taking his brother's head off as a result-and in the end, Kouichi had not been as touchy when Kouji was around. Sure, the older twin would try to keep things from his brother, but Kouji always found out what was going on. It was his job, to look after his brother. Just as it was his job to look after Ken.

Ken had been through a lot, he knew that, but the boy had become like a younger brother to him and Kouji was not going to sit idly by while his cousin wasted away in his room. Once they arrived in the digital world, Kouji dropped Ken at the base of a tree and plopped himself down beside the younger boy, draping an arm around his cousin's shoulders with a sigh. "You seriously need to stop acting like a hermit. I thought you died for a little bit. The fact that you made SOME sort of noise reassured me you were alive," he murmured, giving his cousin's shoulders a squeeze as he looked down at him. "Ken, you know you can talk to me... Right? You're like a little brother to me, I do not want to lose you..."

"Kouji!" Strabimon called, catching sight of his partner as he entered the digital world, smirking lightly as he saw Kouji forced Ken along with him. Running off to find the smaller boy's green digimon, Strabimon grabbed a hold of Wormmon and carried him off to where the boys were within minutes of them arriving. Letting the insect digimon go, the lupine digimon nodded to his partner with a smirk, jumping into the tree above him once Kouji nodded back and smiled. Today was going to be very interesting, by the looks of it.

words: 657

[ICHIJOUJI KEN]

It wasn't that he wanted to be a hermit - but going outside just didn't seem worth it this winter. He was on this island to play the game, but... he just couldn't get himself to do so anymore. He was nervous, he nervous that he was at his wits end. Why... it had only been a passing glance, just once - so why did it feel like his brother was alive? It could have been anyone! And... if Osamu had really been there, he would have said something, right? 'We didn't exactly part on good terms... The Ichijouji found it hard to blame himself anymore, thankfully he had grown past at least that; but the regret was still present. If only they could have stayed close... but that didn't matter now. It was too LATE now, and he knew that so why was he seeing the guy in a virtual reality game? Why now? When he almost felt like he could move on completely and still have family and friends without him? Why?

That very question was what kept him away from the Digital World. What kept him away from wormmon, the digimon that had quickly become one of the best companions that he had ever known. The little guy wasn't all that tough, but he made up for it in kindness and a perspective that Ken could only describe as "wise beyond his size." He had said it aloud once and then laughed - he was smart enough to know that size had nothing to do with it. The dark haired boy missed his friend, and he missed the digital world - but it wasn't worth loosing his mind over. Maybe... maybe once he felt like he could get a grip on things he would go back.

Getting up he fumbled to the bathroom, idly brushing out his hair before brushing his teeth and getting dressed. He would make his bed and tidy up anything that might have been out of place soon after... His routine had become far less lively, but at least he wasn't sitting on the bed in a useless heap. He got dressed during the day, and occasionally left his room on the occasion that he was hungry. Ken didn't really see anything wrong as he laid on his now made bed, but apparently HIS opinion wasn't what would get him out of his room and on the road.

The boy barely heard the other come in before he was yanked right onto the other boy's shoulder. Flailing a moment, Ken retaliated - why was Kouji doing this?! He didn't even say anything, this wasn't fair. Couldn't they talk about this or something first? He didn't want to leave yet he had nothing important to do anyways he might as well just stay home. But as much mental protesting he did, he had the feeling that it was pointless to try and get a word in while he was on his older cousin's shoulder. "This isn't fair you shouldn't be able to do this. Let me go Kouji!" He whined. It was then that he should have realized that Kouji had adopted the role of his older brother - even BEFORE then really, but after loosing his own wrapping his head around the thought had become something harder than it should have been. But if Kouji had been anything less than family, he wouldn't have bothered acting this way and Ken wouldn't have let him.

By the time that he was in the digital world he was frowning, a small pout on his face because he really WAS a bit upset. He had to bite his tongue not to go off on his cousin and tell him something he didn't mean in the process. 'Leave me alone' sounded so childish and 'I hate you' was a lie and a cruel set of words that would never be lashed at someone he considered family. Sitting down, he looked out at the digital world - feeling more at ease than he had since leaving. "I wasn't being a hermit - I just..." He didn't want to admit that he had been hiding, but he was pretty sure that Kouji already knew that he was and knew the reason why. It wasn't something that he kept a secret at first, it was only after he freaked out that he started to avoid... most aspects of life.

As the usually stoic boy told him that he could talk to him, his voice growing more quiet as he explained himself - Ken was speechless. Sure, he had jokingly told Zoey that he was like a brother to him - but that was because Kouichi was there, right? It was to tease him, not Ken. But he was serious now, it would be cruel of him to even consider that he wasn't. The Ichijouji wondered if Kouichi was the reason for this too. After the older twin had gone off, Ken wasn't really sure what to expect from the guy, he could only imagine what his new found sibling thought of the ordeal. Maybe they weren't so close anymore? If Kouji was lonely, then- 'You know he's not that kind of person, stop making excuses.' Well! His subconcious shouldn't be arguing with him - but it was right on this one.

"I know, I probably talk to you more than anyone else already." Whether it was because he was his cousin or his roommate? He wasn't sure. But that didn't really strike him as something that mattered too much. A part of him was surprised at how mopey he was acting - because despite the Osamu ordeal? Kouji was more of a brother to him than anyone else was. Maybe even more than anyone else had been. "You won't lose me, I'm fine really." He hated not knowing what else to say, even though his thoughts were constantly churning his tongue often twisted when it came right down to saying what was on his mind.

Moments later he heard Kouji's digimon call out to him - Strabimon if he remembered correctly. The digimon had Wormmon in tow, and where Ken expected to be sheepish or apologetic - he was genuinly happy to see his little partner again.

Wormmon was MORE than happy to see his tamer again. "Shinrai! Where did you go I was worried that you weren't going to come back this time." The insect digimon wiggled as quickly as he could over to his master, his blue eyes more lively than they had been in what felt like forever to him. Time passed so much more slowly when you were lonely - had Ken missed him too? "I missed you, don't you ever disappear like that again." Any demand that could be assumed from his words was completely done away by his tone. It sounded like the poor thing was going to cry - tears of joy of course.

Ken wasn't usually affectionate with the little guy - but just this once he couldn't help but spoil him. Picking the digimon up, he gave him a hug while holding back a laugh. "I missed you too buddy - though I hope you weren't like this all while I was gone." Looking over at Kouji, it was more a question to him than anything else. If Wormmon had cried all over him he was sorry.

Words: 1233
Muse: Obviously very, very happy
Music: None this time, surprisingly
OOC: it's good to be back! :DD[/size]

[MINAMOTO KOUJI]

"I know, I probably talk to you more than anyone else already. You won't lose me, I'm fine really."

Kouji let out a sigh of relief, pulling his cousin closer and placing his chin on Ken's head in a possessive fashion. Sure, he and Kouichi were being torn apart because of this whole Anathema thing, but Kouji was not looking to replace his twin. Not even a little bit. He just noticed over the time he lived with Ken that the boy lacked an older brother figure after someone FINALLY explained the concept of Osamu Ichijouji to him. It surely was not Ken who told him. He got it out of Kouichi after he saw Osamu in the game. Regardless, since then Kouji had a bad feeling every time he saw the older Ichijouji child in the game, and Kouji made a promise to himself that he would not allow Osamu to hurt Ken. Not again. His cousin was precious to him, just as his brother was, and no one-not even Ken's own brother-was going to hurt his cousin. Nobody. Since then, Kouji had become very protective of Ken. The fact that the two of them lived together was probably part of the reason why Kouji had bonded with him so much, but it was mostly because of how Kouji felt the need to protect his family. After the incident with his father-which he still had yet to talk to Kouichi about-Kouji felt like he had been a burden on his family. He still had yet to see his own mother, for the love of god!

When Wormmon finally made an appearance, the older boy smiled as his cousin hugged his partner. At Ken's question, and feeling his cousin's gaze on him, Kouji pulled a face and rolled his eyes. "I only know about when I come here. He'd attach himself to my leg and ask for updates on you. I didn't have many since you barricaded yourself in your room, but I felt bad, so I snatched you for him. At least, that was part of it," he smiled, giving Wormmon's head a light pat as he looked up to Strabimon, who jumped down from the tree.

"He was alright when Kouji was not here. We got to miss you two together. I felt bad when Kouji came along, though. He was always good to Wormmon when it was the three of us, regardless," Strabimon smirked, causing Kouji to glare at him. He knew his partner was not a fan of people finding out about his soft side, but it only came out when it came to Kouichi and Ken, so Strabimon had tons of fun with it when it arose. "He always made a point for Wormmon to tag along with us. It was probably a way for him to keep you with him since you locked yourself away for so long."

Kouji made a swipe at his digimon, causing Strabimon to chuckle and step out of his reach. He knew Kouji well enough by now that since he found his twin and his cousin, Kouji's laid back demeanor caused him to be too lazy to actually fight with his digimon when he wanted to squabble. That was just a fact. He knew Kouji would not get up and smack him, he was too comfortable where he was. The digimon rolled his eyes and watched as Kouji settled back into the trunk of the tree and he scooted himself back to where he was beside his cousin. It was intriguing, to see his partner so protective of someone who was not Kouichi, but Strabimon also saw how possessive Kouji could be of both his sibling and Ken and that was not very fun.

words: 604

[ICHIJOUJI KEN]

He wasn't very proud of his answer, but it was enough for Kouji. The Ichijouji didn't expect the hug, but accepted it best he could. The boy had never been the most touchy of people, but in that respect? He knew that his cousin wasn't either. At one point he had thought this guy would be the reason that he and Kouichi grew distanct, but he turned out to be quite the opposite! Opposed to being jealous of the twins, he just wanted them to be as close as he knew that they wanted to be - Kouichi was just so caught up in things that had to do with the digital world that he ended up focusing on that. It wasns't bad, just the way that things went, and were going for now. He hoped that he would find a moment to himself sometime soon.

It was a strange mixture of awkwardness and feeling protected that was either sitting in his stomach and weighing down his fingers. Ken was a naturally nervous person, and him being jittery when given any sort of affection what so ever was just the way he was. No matter who he happened to be with. Osamu had never been the most caring of brothers, but he was pretty sure that this was what it was like to have a caring older sibling. It was something that he should have been hit by deja vu with, but he wasn't. His family was never normal, was it? Maybe he and his cousins could make their own damn family here - it wasn't as if they weren't already on their way toward that. Living together, worrying each other sick, occasionally getting angry enough to whine or complain - that was normal for most families. They were normal. A sense of normalacy was good. It put the boy at ease. Which was why he didn't try and squirm away from his cousin's hug.

Wormmon was part of that normal though, as was the digital world, so that sort of threw the average family photo out the window - considering how attatched he had grown to his digimon, and how attracted to this world that he ended up being. The little guy had even missed him - something that a pet or an attack dog or whatever he considered digimon when he first started playing - wouldn't be able to feel. Hearing how Kouji dealt with him made the Ichijouji smile. Wormmon blushed, not wanting everyone to know how sad he was without Shinrai around, but he figured the human boy knew how he felt already.

Ken didn't laugh at Kouji's now spotlighted sweet side, although found it a bit harder to contain himself when he and his digimon turned it into a banter of sorts. By the time that the older boy tried to hit his digimon Ken couldn't help but chuckle. "Well thank you for taking care of him then. Both of you." The gratitude was extended to Strabimon as well. It was funny how different the two were, yet in other ways they were eerily similar. "I'm glad that you dragged me back, this is a lot better than being cooped up in my room." It was pretty easy to admit, although he did feel bad.

"Sorry for any worry I caused - I just... I couldn't come back here if I was going to start seeing things... and I wasn't sure how long a break I needed to go back to being myself." Maybe he went at it the wrong way, and the proper decision was to face his problem head on. But was being brash really worth his sanity? When he had decided to stay home, his answer was a definite no. At this point? He was on the fence. He didn't know. "I feel fine now though - better than I have in a while." Maybe even good enough to start exploring this world again. Things had surely changed in the digital world while he wasn't around. He didn't really like surprises slipped into his games, but it was a challenge that he would accept.

"I've missed a lot while I was... hiding out, I'm sure. Is there anything that I should no before I start looking around again?" The question was for anyone who might know something. Wormmon made himself comfortable in Ken's lap, not knowing where to start when it came to what had been happening around here. Fidgeting a bit as he tried to come up with a proper answer, he finally gave up. "I don't see the problem in explaining as things come up Shinrai." The insect was as knowledgeable as the next digimon, and even a bit more so as he had been traveling with Kouji whenever he got the chance. "I won't let anything bad happen." It was his job, and he liked his job because he liked his tamer. Besides, it wasn't as if they were alone anymore - they had Kouji and Strabimon, who honestly both looked stronger than the two of them were.

Words: 843
Total for thread: 2076
Muse: Still good! :3
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