#ch: jyou kidou

[redthreadoffate]

sincerity at its finest

hi there @bacomon-art-blog​!!! it’s me, your secret santa! merry christmas!

this is my first time writing something focusing on iori and jyou and i hope i was able to do them right. and adventure and 02 are also my favorites so i was still a little familiar with the feels. this is an au fic though, so sadly no digimon partners because i felt like it would be too forced and a little crowded for the plot, huhu, i’m sorry :(

so a few notes i would like to say before we begin the gift ; i apologize for being late, stuff happened, although no emergencies or anything negative in you are wondering, but lotsa busy and last minute stuff plus works and a change of plot / i had an original idea that i really liked and it was heading the right direction but not the direction i wanted, so i made some changes and although i love what i’ve written, i’m still scared you won’t like it, but i hope you do! / i had a lot of fun writing this but i think it’s too short :( but i swear i love it and that’s something to me because i hate writing short stories for people who deserve more / this focuses more on iori but i put in some jyou x iori friendship in it / also, the title, omg i thought that was very smart of me (or not?) hahaha / and finally, this has been edited just a few times so please don’t expect any perfection huhuhu

...and so, let’s go!

sincerity at its finest | main characters ; iori hida, jyou kido | pairings ; slight takeru x hikari | genre ; friendship | word count ; 1,000 | rating ; g

Iori Hida was not particularly one of those to have a large group of friends. He had Miyako and the others, but sometimes, he felt like he never quite fit in. They were loud and exciting, while he was shy and reserved. He loved his friends dearly, but he still felt…out of place. He also knew that his friends loved him, too. But he could not help but feel like he did not belong.

“Iori,” Miyako greeted, a smile on her face. She had come from the opposite direction and was waving as she approached him. “Are you still coming to the party later?”

He nodded. “Of course, why wouldn’t I go?”

Her smile softened. “It’s just…you haven’t been yourself lately. I know the holidays aren’t really your thing but I promise that spending time with us will be worth it.”

Iori nodded. “I know it will.”

Miyako grinned and pumped her fist in the air, “That’s the spirit!” Then she chuckled. “I’ll go ahead, I promised Mimi that I’d take care of the food.” She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, a grin still on her face. “I would never break a promise to her.”

Iori gave a small smile. Miyako idolized Mimi to bits and pieces, he sometimes wondered if Mimi found it uncomfortable or amusing. ‘Probably the latter,’ he thought. “I’ll see you later then.” Miyako patted his head and said goodbye.

Iori sighed once she was out of sight. The hallway was not as crowded, which does not happen so often. It seemed everyone was inside the classrooms planning events or hangouts for the break. His pace was his usual, slow and steady but alert. He hoped to one day be like the schoolmates he had, secure and confident.

Later that day, the party had begun in the room they rented. The place was specifically made for gatherings of people who wanted their privacy. He and his friends all chipped in to pay for their event, it was not too expensive. It was not just his core group that was there, their friends from the higher batches were also attending.

He was a little intimated by them but they always made him feel welcome and treated him as an equal.

He and Takeru had come together as they were both on cleaning duty for their respective classrooms.

“I’m really excited,” Takeru said. “We do this all the time, and we’re always meeting up, but specific gathers always excite me.” He smiled. “What about you, Iori?”

Iori nodded. “I get nervous,” he admitted. “But it always ends up great.”

Takeru agreed. “We’re really lucky, you know. Finding our friends.” Iori’s ears perked. “Especially our senpais, they’re really great.”

“But your older brother is one of them,” Iori pointed out. “You grew up with them.”

Takeru smiled. “That’s true, yes. But I don’t think it matters to them whether we grew up together or not.”

Iori knew what Takeru was saying but did not want to say it out loud. He was talking about him, Miyako, Daisuke, and Ken. They were the “freshmen”, friends Takeru and Hikari brought in. But the senpais were nice, very nice. He felt welcome, and though he had those thoughts of being detached as compared to everyone else, he felt their sincerity.

They finally arrived and saw that the party had already started. “Nothing like a grand entrance,” Takeru said with a chuckle.

Iori giggled and agreed. As he and Takeru entered, he noticed that everyone mixed and mingled. Miyako was talking to Sora and Koushiro, Hikari was with Taichi and Yamato, Daisuke seemed to be ranting to Jyou, and Ken and Mimi had smiles on their faces. Takeru started to walk, heading for Daisuke and Jyou while Iori went to get some food.

He watched the others talk and laugh, but Hikari, Taichi, and Yamato seemed to be in serious mode. He had just finished his food when he heard his name being called by Jyou. He stood frozen for a while. Like Miyako idolized Mimi, Iori idolized Jyou.

“Hi,” Iori greeted them when he arrived at their group.

“We were just talking about Takeru’s gift for Hikari,” Daisuke said a little sourly. Daisuke had a huge crush on Hikari but everyone knew that she and Takeru were endgame. “He’s scared she wouldn’t like it.”

Jyou chuckled. “That’s just how puppy love is.”

Iori smiled. “What about it?”

As they talked, Iori could not help but actually feel the rapport he had with them. They asked for his opinions and valued whatever he said. He would even cast some silly, corny jokes, which he rarely did, but their laughs were genuine.

“I have to talk to Ken,” Daisuke said. “Excuse me.”

Takeru nodded and smiled. “Mimi said she wanted to talk to me about something, too.”

Iori was left with Jyou, and surprisingly, he did not feel any awkwardness. “How’ve you been, Iori?” Jyou asked.

“Doing good,” he replied. “Exams are done but the thought of passing or not won’t change.”

Jyou scoffed. “I know exactly what you mean.” He shook his head. “But let’s not talk about school, I’m not ready to go back.”

Iori did not know how Jyou’s academic life worked and a part of him did not want to know for now. Just as he was about to ask what his senpai was going to do for Christmas, Jyou cut him off.

“Are you done Christmas shopping?”

Iori nodded. “I’ve got gifts for everyone. I’m just hoping you’ll all like it.”

“You all?” Jyou cocked his head. “Me included?”

“Why do you seem surprised?”

Jyou stared at him for a few seconds before smiling and shaking his head. “Forget that, let it be a surprise.”

It was a massive bewilderment for Iori. He talked to every single participant in the party and not once did he feel any negativity. When the event was done, they all said their goodbyes and headed home. He, Miyako, and Takeru walked together until Yamato called out to them and accompanied them home.

It was finally Christmas and everyone had given their gifts to everyone. He was very shocked when he received gifts from the senpais as well–all of them. On Christmas day, Iori was trying his best not to look at his mother whenever he would grab a present and read the cards. He knew his mother was doing her best not to cry, cry because of happiness. He could see from the corner of his eye that her lips were quivering.

“You received a lot this year,” his grandfather said.

It had been a while but Iori’s heart soared, and he felt the love. Not just because of the gifts he received, but because the friendships he made with each member were not shallow, nor was it a facade. He knew there was a deep connection between them as a group and each of them individually.

“They’re the most sincere people I know.”