Raitomo
It was Saturday noon. Makoto and Tomoro finished their well-deserved pizza after a feeding shift at Nirinso. The Digimon-sanctuary became so crowded these days, that the Glowing Dawn decided one E-pulse feeder was not enough.
 Tomoro was humming while washing the dishes, Chiropmon and Gekkomon were watching cartoons on the sofa. And Makoto was tinkering with his newly repaired earpiece.
"I heard Raito is back." He mumbles absently.
The plate Tomoro was holding nearly slipped from his fingers. He straightened his back. Slowly looked at Makoto. "Huh?"
He was trying not to let the suddenly erupting feelings in his chest show.
Raito.
"H- Heard from who?"
He was failing. Miserably.
Makoto lifted his head, eyes shining with surprise. "Horaruko told me that… two days ago. You didn't know?"
Tomoro threw the clean plate back in the dirty sink. "C'mon." He said, wiping his wet hands on the towel.
"Where to?" Makoto asked, voice a bit worried. Chiropmon flying over to inspect, hovering over his partner. He watched as Tomoro put his shoes on.
"I feel like Okonimiyaki." Tomoro answered from the door, pocketing his keys, Gekkomon already by his side. Makoto hurried after him.
"But we just ate?"
"My treat. Let's go." Tomoro tried not to get impatient. He waited so long to hear these words. But not like that. He had to hear it for himself.
"I want Okonimiyaki too, ya know!"
*
Tomoro feels like all the air is sucked out of this building he's in, as he's waiting for the door to open.
"Tenma Tomoro," The door opens. "Too late, again."
Through the lack of oxygen in Tomoro's lungs, he gasps.
It's been four years. And now Raito was standing in front of him, alone, without Monodramon beside him. He filed that fact for later. First, he needed to…
Re looked the same, but so different. Tomoro and he were almost the same height, but Raito was still taller than him by a few inches. His blue hair was wet and slicked back, like he just got out of the shower, Bandanna gone. It seemed darker, somehow. The white shirt he wore was oversized but could not hide his build, stronger, wider. His bare feet picked under his blue pants.
And his eyes… his eyes changed. He looked as if he didn't get enough sleep in his four years long travels. But even though he looked tired, bags under his eyes, he still had that same sharp look. Soft look, as he was looking at Tomoro. He was breathtaking.
How?
Tomoro cleared his throat. Raised his resolution. Squared his shoulders. He was not to be deterred under the eyes of Raito. He was supposed to be angry.
"I can't be too late if I'm not invited."
Raito chuckled, the bastard. "Idiot." It was an insult, but he said it like it's a compliment. He moved aside to let Tomoro in.
As Tomoro entered this quiet apartment Raito apparently stayed in, he looked around, as if he was checking it out. But he couldn’t, not really. Raito was moving behind him to close the door. Woody smell lingered after him and surrounded Tomoro. The first thing he could breathe in for the last two hours, it seemed. Tomoro was having a hard time controlling his emotions.
"So – "
"You're back." Tomoro stated.
"Yes."
"Why?" His voice sounded almost accusing.
"That's your way of welcoming me back?" Raito could look almost offended by someone who didn't know him. But Tomoro knew him. He was sure of it, even if it’s been four years. Longer than Tomoro thought. His heart clinched. God, he was so angry and so, so…
He gritted his teeth. "Why are you back?"
He went further into the apartment. Tomoro followed him until they reached a small kitchen, a bar. Raito disappeared behind a refrigerator door and pulled out a can of sweet soda. "Cherry, right?"
Tomoro blinked. "Uh, right."
He watched Raito move around the place, pouring the red drink into a clean glass and placing it in front of Tomoro. "Sit."
Then Raito grabbed himself a glass of water and set as well.
"Don't you want to drink this yourself? I can – "
"Pff, please." Raito looked at him with a pointed look. "I don't drink this abomination."
Tomoro looked away, feeling himself blushing. "…It's tasty."
"Yes. I remember you have a taste of a five-year-old."
Tomoro spluttered. "That's not true!"
But Raito only smiled at him. He sat against the wall and leaned his head sideways to look at Tomoro. Tomoro found himself at lost. Even after all this time, Tomoro still couldn't explain how he felt under those amber eyes of Souda Raito.
Infuriating.
"So?" Tomoro asked, trying to keep his tone calm.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I – "
He was starting to feel himself slipping, emotions spilling through the cracks of the fake mask of impassive he put on. Trying in vain to hide his anger and frustration with the, now, man that set next to him.
"I waited for you." Tomoro whispered.
"You shouldn't have – "
"I told you I would."
Back then, that day at the hospital, after the battle with Klay, after all of his friends – family - became cold hearted, after Raito came to help him. To save him. Right after Raito left them and disappeared behind a corner. Tomoro ran after him and grabbed his hand. "I'll be here when you come back, Raito", he told him while holding his hand. And then Reina called his name and Tomoro gave him one more smile and let go.
It's been four years.
"I didn't ask you to."
Tomoro couldn't contain the gasp that was breaking out of him. His stomach sank with the harsh reality of Raito's words.
B – but I thought…
Through his hurt, Tomoro looked at Raito, but the older averted his eyes. His jaw set, like he was trying to hold something back.
The way Raito avoided him, the silence from him for those four years, the thought of him being back and not calling Tomoro straight away. The fact that Monodramon was away, like Raito didn't want him to witness Raito rejecting Tomoro, inevitably hurting him…
It was too much for Tomoro.
He stood up, shouting, "Why are you doing this Raito?!"
The chair he sat on fell to the floor, he didn't care. Raito's amber eyes were huge, finally looking at him.
"I – I waited for you, and I thought you'd be gone for a while but not that long. I waited and you didn't even texted me. I know you kept in touch with Hotaruko and Granit. You could have said something, anything. I kept asking about you, only to get vague answers. I respected that you wanted your time to figure things out, but I waited for you. I missed you. And now you're back and you won't even tell me why and – "
"I got a job offer."
Tomoro stops. Trying to match the sound of the words that came from Raito's mouth to their meaning.
"I got a job offer, from Haruomi. Team officer in the ministry. He asked me to at least check it out and I agreed. I'm not sure I'll take it."
"What?"
Tomoro's whisper was loud. Carried across the mostly empty apartment.
"I'm sorry, I…"
But Tomoro wasn't listening anymore.
I'm not sure I'll take it. I'm not sure I'll stay.
After all this time. And…
Tomoro couldn't contain the gaping ache inside his chest. This feeling swallowing him whole. He needed to move. To run away. To be as far away as he could from… From the one person he waited for so long to be with again.
Tomoro turned away, walking to the door.
"W – No, wait!" Raito called after him. Tomoro stopped, but didn't turn back to face him. "Please."
"I'm done waiting, Raito."
Tomoro left.