Chapter Text
TW: Very minor hint at self-harm
To say he was nervous would be an understatement. But who could blame him? After all, it had been years. Ever since Ai and Mako moved to Hokkaido with him after the D-Reaper incident, Beelzemon hadn’t visited anyone—not even once.
The biggest reason was the sheer effort the trip required. Traveling alone would take days, and if he was going to make the journey, he'd have to stay for a while to make it worth it. Explaining all of that to the kids had never felt easy, so he'd never ended up doing the trip in the end.
His thoughts drifted to the ones he'd left behind. 'Have they maybe forgotten about me by now?' The years had passed, and life had surely moved on without him. He had no idea what to expect as he flew over Shinjuku, the city stretching out beneath him like a place half-remembered in a dream.
The only reason he was here now was that Ai and Mako’s parents had announced their six-week school summer camp, starting today. He, of course, couldn’t go—strict “no Digimon” policy. Not that it would have been much of a vacation for him anyway, surrounded by hundreds of kids recognizing him. The moment he thought about reuniting with his old friends in Shinjuku, nostalgia hit so hard that there was no way he could just sit around.
The nearly 1,000-mile flight had taken hours, but he knew it would be worth it.
His first stop was Takato and Guilmon. Since it was a Saturday morning, Takato had to be home, right?
Their reunion was warm, and as they talked, Beelzemon caught up on everything he’d missed. Takato was now in college, studying to become an astronaut—a childhood dream if there ever was one, but Takato seemed completely serious about it. Guilmon, on the other hand, had become somewhat of a local celebrity. After the D-Reaper incident, people recognized him everywhere, and his parents’ bakery had turned into a tourist hotspot thanks to their now-famous Guilmon Bread.
When Beelzemon asked about the others, Takato filled him in. Rika was away at a racing festival, a career she’d chosen for herself alongside modeling. Before parting, Takato gave him everyone’s current addresses, just in case.
By the afternoon, Beelzemon headed to Henry’s place. He found him in their family home, sitting at a laptop, his younger sister—now not-so-little anymore—nearby. They welcomed him warmly and caught him up on the years gone by.
By nightfall, only one visit remained.
Jeri.
He had mixed feelings about seeing her again. He wasn’t expecting the warmest welcome, not after… everything. She had lost her partner Leomon because of him many years ago, and that wasn’t something anyone could easily forget. Still, they had at least somewhat made amends after the D-Reaper incident, so he hoped she wouldn’t slam the door in his face.
He reached her neighborhood close to 11 p.m., the streets now bathed in darkness. As he scanned the area, his gaze caught a flash of reddish hair through a softly lit window.
Landing silently on the balcony, he stayed concealed behind the curtain. Peering inside through the window, he took in the scene.
Takato had mentioned that, as a form of compensation for her trauma, Hypnos had arranged for Jeri to have a fully paid-for house, covering utilities and maintenance as well. Looking down, he noticed the property even had a small, well-kept garden.
But then his eyes returned to her.
She was unwrapping bandages from her left arm.
A sinking feeling twisted in his stomach.
'Old scars...' placed in an orderly fashion. Not an accident. Not scratches from a cat.
'Deliberate...'
None of the friends he’d spoken to today had mentioned Jeri being anything but her usual 'cheerful' self. So what was this? What had happened?
Beelzemon remained still, blending into the darkness as he watched her carefully reapply fresh bandages, discarding the old ones into a bin. His mind raced.
'Is someone doing this to her? A person? A Digimon?'
He hated the thought of it being self-inflicted more than anything.
There was only one way to find out.
Tearing his gaze from the window, he made his way to her front door. The nameplate confirmed it—"Katou Jeri."
He hesitated.
Then, taking a breath, he rang the doorbell.
Silence.
After about twenty seconds with no response, he rang again.
This time, a voice answered, hesitant but clear.
"Coming! One second, please!"
The large, leather-clad Digimon gulped.
Yeah. He was nervous.
How was she going to react?
The door swung open, revealing a more mature version of the Jeri he had met all those years ago. Her chest-length hair had a stylish cut with soft waves, framing a face that had bloomed into something undeniably beautiful. Though still on the slim side, her body had developed curves in all the right places.
It seemed she had managed to throw a long sleeve shirt over her short-sleeve nightdress in a hurry—fashion-wise, a bit questionable, but he wasn’t about to start prying into her choices. Not right now.
"Ooooh, hey! Beelzemon, what a surprise, haven't seen you in ages!"
Before he could say a word, she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. By now, the top of her head reached his neck—not exactly a massive growth spurt considering the years that had passed, but still noticeable.
"Hey to ya too..." he chuckled, his arms coming up to return the hug—one around her waist, the other gently patting her back between her shoulders.
The way she squeezed him just a little tighter told him everything. This wasn’t just excitement at seeing him. It felt more like she hadn’t hugged anyone like this in a long time. Beelzemon knew all too well how isolation did that to people. Digimon weren’t much different. The others had mentioned that Jeri rarely left her house—something about that didn’t sit right with him.
"Aaah, sorry," she said suddenly, pulling away as if only now realizing how overwhelming her reaction had been. "What brings you here? Come in first!"
He blinked, then followed her inside. The living room was cozy but eerily quiet, the kind of silence that felt too accustomed to loneliness.
"Just visitin' some old friends," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Got some free time for a few weeks. Hope ya don’t mind..."
"Ooooh, no, no! Hope you don’t mind that I don’t have any food prepared for you. I was already in bed, actually... hence this... outfit..." She trailed off, absentmindedly tucking her left arm behind her back.
Now was his chance to poke at the thought nagging at him.
"Everything okay?" he asked, voice casual, though his eyes flicked briefly to the arm she was trying to hide.
"Yeah, I don't mind staying up for an old friend! Not at all. Would you like tea, coffee, water?" she said quickly, her nervous energy betraying her attempt to act normal. She shuffled toward the kitchen, avoiding his gaze.
"A tea sounds good... Also, hey, calm down, it's only me," he grinned, making finger guns at her. "Badaboom! Remember?"
She stopped mid-step, her shoulders relaxing as a genuine smile replaced her forced one.
"Hahaha, yeah, sorry... Just tired, please don’t mind me."
He waved off her apology, and a few minutes later, she returned with two steaming cups of peppermint tea. She placed one on the small table in front of him, then set the other in front of the opposite couch.
"Eyy, come sit with an old friend, will ya? Not gonna bite, ya know!" he teased, patting the spot beside him.
Something about her hesitance gnawed at him, but after a moment, she complied, sitting down next to him with a small, amused smile.
"Those teeth look pretty sharp," she joked, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "Wouldn’t be much left of me if you did."
"That’s why I’ve decided to be merciful tonight! Me, the Great Demon Lord!" He puffed out his chest, spreading his wings as much as he could while seated, making himself look even larger.
"I bow before thee!" Jeri giggled, dramatically bowing before taking a sip of her tea.
"I shall accept your appeasement this time, puny human," he declared, sipping his tea as well. The warm drink combined with their spontaneous friendly banter helped settle the atmosphere, easing the tension between them.
"My bad that I'm a bit out of it tonight, gonna be better tomorrow. Unless you don’t plan to stay? You can sleep on this sofa, should be big enough! I have spare blankets and all, though I never had anyone sleep over, so they might be a bit dusty..."
Now this was the Jeri he remembered—rambling, a little awkward, but warm and welcoming.
"Yeah, sure, I’d love to," he said, leaning back. "And don’t worry, I’ve slept in worse places before."
She playfully bumped his arm. "Hey, if you show up unannounced, you can’t expect five-star treatment!"
He laughed. "That’s ‘cause I started flyin’ the second I heard I had some free time. No time for plannin’."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Flying from... Where were you again, Hokkaido? That’s so far! I hope you took some breaks in between, at least!"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh... well, yeah, sorta. Took like a three-hour nap when I got really tired. Started flyin’ at around 10 in the evenin’..."
Jeri’s worried expression deepened. "Oooh, then it’s better you get some real rest here. But—wait, immediately? What gives?"
"Well, yeah," he shrugged, as if it were obvious. "Really wanted to catch up with ya guys after all these years. My bad I got to ya so late, kinda lost track of time with the others. That, and Henry’s sister spoilin’ me with homemade cupcakes… which I was forced to help bake." He stuck out his tongue, pointing at his slightly flour-stained leather jacket as evidence.
Jeri laughed. "That is so sweet, I swear!" Then, before she seemed to think about it, she reached out and patted his chest to brush off the remaining flour dust. "There, all handsome again."
Beelzemon froze. The casual touch—her palm pressing against his chest, especially after her timidness just now—caught him completely off-guard.
Heat crept up his face.
Jeri must have realized it at the same moment, because she jerked her hand back, blushing as well.
"I-I mean..." she stammered, suddenly looking around as if trying to find something—anything—to hide behind.
"Hey, by the way, the tea is great," he said quickly, throwing her a lifeline. "Thanks. Had a long day, so chillin’ like this is the perfect end to it."
She latched onto the change in topic like a drowning person grabbing a rope. "Ah, right! Let me get the blanket already."
She disappeared for a moment and returned with a blanket and a pillow. "Couldn’t find the guest pillow, so I’m giving you one of mine. Should be fine, I’m sure!"
He shrugged. "Eh, anythin’ beats tree branches. Really, what ya doin’ is fine. After all, I hadn’t even thought about where I’d sleep. Thanks again." He took the blanket and pillow, setting up his makeshift bed.
"Anytime! I’m glad to have someone over for once, to be honest. Gonna spoil you with breakfast tomorrow!" she said with a giggle, clearly enjoying the idea of playing host. The tension from earlier seemed to have lifted entirely.
"Awesome. Aight, ya should prolly hit the hay now. I’m also tired, so that checks out."
Jeri yawned in response. "You’re right. Sleep well, talk more tomorrow then! Nighty!"
He waved as she turned off the light, leaving him alone in the dim room.
Flopping onto the couch, he inhaled. The blanket smelled a little stale from storage, but the pillow—the one she had used—was fresh, carrying the faint scent of her shampoo. It was oddly comforting.
Beelzemon pressed his face into it, sighing as his body relaxed.
Sleep followed soon after...