Chapter Text
Ken couldn’t get the blush off his face for the whole day.
His heart was pounding.
He was embarrassed, of course, because his identity as the Kaiser was revealed, and he sort of lost.
No, he didn’t lose!
The insects could never even come close to beating him.
He just...er...
”Ken-chan? What’s the matter?”
Ugh. Of course the little worm would come and intrude on his sulking.
He of course, didn’t respond and got to fiddling with the buttons on the control panel, Wormmon assumed steering to the next area he planned to get under his control.
”Ken-chan?”
He skittered closer to the Kaiser’s chair, a choice he instantly regretted.
But looking at Ken’s face, he looked more flustered than angry.
Maybe a little of something else...
”T-That disgusting insect, he...He figured out who I was today. No! No, I revealed it, he’s too stupid to figure it out.”
”If you revealed your identity yourself, why are you blushing?”
Wormmon immediately jumped back when the Kaiser snapped his head towards him with a death glare.
”Nobody said you could speak!!”
He hit Wormmon with that whip he never seemed to put down.
Once, then twice.
And he turned his attention to a more worthy being, the incomplete Chimeramon on his computer screen.
Wormmon fought back tears, he wasn’t sure if it was because of the pain of the whip or the pain of losing the real Ken-chan.
Maybe both.
He decided just...not to speak more.
Good, Ken thought, he’s finally leaving me alone.
But the blush just wouldn’t go away.
Why?
Why was he still so humiliated? He would create Chimeramon, and then he would crush them all.
”It’s exactly as you think,” The Digimon Kaiser said, taking off his shades. “I am Ichijouji Ken.”
Motomiya just stared at him in horror.
Ken loved that reaction, he loved the fear he would always elicit from Digimon.
But rarely had he succeeded in getting the same reaction out of Motomiya Daisuke.
Then Motomiya started to scream.
Ken fought back a laugh.
He ran over to him, causing Ken to stumble backwards a bit.
Motomiya just stared into his eyes, scanning for answers.
Ken just looked back at him.
H-He’d never been so close to an insect before.
They could’ve kissed if they wa-
What?! Kiss the insect?! W-What in the Digital World?!
“You,” The insect’s shoulders slumped. “You really are Ichijouji Ken...”
Ken felt an instinctual reaction moving him closer to Daisuke’s face.
His eyes...they were mesmerizing...
Maybe he wasn’t such an insect-
No!! Stop it!! S-Stupid, disgusting, argh! The insects had corrupted his brain!!
He quickly pulled himself backwards, he almost fell down before he caught himself.
His humiliation would be even worse if he’d allowed that to happen.
”Why...why would you do something so horrible, Ichijouji-san? I-I looked up to you...”
There were tears in the insect’s eyes.
Ken felt something.
Was it...was it guilt...?
No! Of course not!
He really needed to get out of here.
He didn’t have time for this.
He whistled and Airdramon immediately swooped in to pick him up.
”Hey!! Digimon Kaiser!! Ken!! Wait!!!”
He didn’t wait. He couldn’t wait. He got out of there as soon as possible.
Ken still didn’t understand why the blush wouldn’t leave his face and the image of Daisu-THE INSECT LEADER wouldn’t leave his mind.
Maybe there was more to it that he wasn’t letting on...
He was feeling so many things, but...anger wasn’t one of them.
That was incredibly strange. Ken was usually angry, angry at the world, angry at the insects who just waltzed into his world to ruin his plans.
But he wasn’t angry at Daisu-He wasn’t angry at Motomiya.
It was preposterous. He’d gotten so close to the Digimon Kaiser, he should’ve whipped him or punched him, or something like that.
But he just...got closer.
He almost...
No. Don’t even think it.
I almost kissed him...
Agh!! No!! Stop it!! Stop!!
”GET. OUT. OF MY HEAD, DAISUKE!!!”
Wormmon flinched at the sudden outburst, he was now hiding in the corner under some machinery.
”Ken-chan...are you okay?”
He knew it was a bad idea to talk, it always was, but he had to make sure Ken-chan was alright.
He sounded really confused.
”I-It’s Daisuke,” Ken found himself spluttering. Ridiculous. He never talked to that worm. “He...h-he...”
”Did he hurt you?”
”W-Well, no...I mean, yes, he punched me, but...I...”
Ken hadn’t talked like that in a long time.
It almost seemed like maybe...maybe he had his kind Ken-chan back, if only for a moment.
”He...he walked closer to me to try and figure out if I was really Ken, I guess, and then I...and then...”
Ken ran his hands through his spiky blue hair, not enough to make it completely straight, like it was in the Real World, but just enough to make him look like Ken-chan again.
“I...I just...”
Ken’s heart skipped a beat now at the idea of kissing Daisuke, and his eyes widened as realization dawned on him.
Wait...
No...
No!
No, absolutely no-
I think I’m in love with him.
I love the look on his face when he defeats me.
I love the way he laughs, and smiles.
I love him. And of course he loves everyone but me.
I’m his enemy.
But I love him.
T-The Digimon Kaiser...in love with that insect...
T-That was the only stupid idea Ken had ever had. Kissing Motomiya?
B-Being in love with him?
Ken quickly shook his head, tousling his hair to make it messy again.
”Wormmon, never speak of this again or you will be punished.”
”...what?”
He wasn’t back to the kind Ken-chan...
Wormmon knew he shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up...
”What do you mean, ‘what?!’ Do you or do you not understand?!”
”I-I understand.”
”Good.”
Ken scoffed, slamming on the control panel, and storming out of the room.
All the screens turned into a red screen with the message, “Error,” pasted all over it.
”There has been an error, master.”
Even the computers called him that...
”Yeah...I think there has been.” Wormmon mumbled, before following Ken into the hallway.