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"There are certain things in this world that defy explanation."
Tentomon looked up, startled from a half-sleeping state by Izzy's voice. "Hmm? Like what?"
Izzy sighed, staring at his laptop screen. "Like love."
Tentomon nodded, trying to look like he knew what Izzy was talking about.
"I mean, it's just so random. It happens with no real reason and it's almost impossible to understand..."
"Izzy?"
"Yes?"
"What is love?"
Izzy was silent for a long time. "Sorry. Are Digimon ever attracted emotionally to other Digimon of their species?"
A searching expression passed briefly over the insectoid Digimon's face. "Well, yes. Do you mean having a liking for other Digimon, or is it something more complicated? Because if you mean just the liking, then I guess I'm 'attracted emotionally' to all the others."
Izzy sweatdropped. "That's friendship. Friendship is not what I'm talking about. Love is much more complicated."
"Tell me about it. I'm curious now."
Izzy closed his laptop and lay back on the grass, staring at the stars. "It's... hard to describe. You know, humans don't just hatch from eggs like Digimon do. A male human and a female human need to... I'll tell you about that later. But it produces a baby human. It's an instinct our species has had from the very beginning, the instinct to make new humans. It's the reason our race didn't go extinct millennia ago.
"Love is, simply put, an emotion that goes with the basic attraction between male and female. It makes you feel happy when it is returned, and hurt when it isn't."
Tentomon hrmmed. "So that's why I've always been more fond of Biyomon and Palmon than I have of any of the others. I guess Digimon have love too. Sort of."
Izzy smiled sadly. "You have it easy, Tento."
"How so?"
"Love goes most smoothly when it's between males and females. But our race has grown so much, that we no longer need to constantly reproduce. Love is much more complicated than that emotion I mentioned. As the human race has evolved, even our hormones - the source of that basic attraction - sometimes deviate from the norm."
Tentomon took a wild guess. "You mean, like a boy would start being attracted to another boy?"
"That's exactly right. It happens to some girls too. And love usually does accompany that attraction. Love itself... you just want to be with the other person, and you want that other person to feel the same way about you. Sometimes that does happen. Sometimes not. Sometimes a person can actually be in love with more than one other person."
"Are you in any of those situations?"
Izzy sat straight up. "What?!"
Tentomon attempted to shield himself with his claws. "I just thought that since you were talking about it..."
Izzy sighed and flopped back down. "Yes, actually I am. I'm in love with one of the other Digidestined."
"Who? Is it Mimi?"
"I almost wish." Izzy sighed. "She's probably the one I should like. I mean, as strange as it seems, we do go together. The more I think about it, the more perfect the match seems. But it's not her I like. I mean, I like her as a friend, you know, obviously, but it's not love."
"So who is it?"
Izzy covered his face with one hand. "Do I have to tell you?"
"Yes. If you didn't want me to know, you shouldn't have told me you liked someone." Tentomon crossed his claws in an almost childish gesture.
Izzy sighed heavily. "I should have known I was digging my own grave when I mentioned that. Although I guess I wanted to talk to someone about this... I'm the only one who knows so far."
"The suspense is going to fry my circuits, Izzy."
"Alright. I'll give you one clue."
Izzy rolled over onto his side and looked right into Tentomon's lidless green eyes.
"It's not a girl."
Tentomon sweatdropped. "How informative. Which of the guys do you happen to love?"
"Will you please stop with the direct questions?"
"No. Who are you in love with?!" Tentomon was flailing his arms and hopping from foot to foot. "You've got my curiousity up and I'll short-circuit if I don't find out!"
Izzy sighed. "Fine. I'll give you a direct answer. I love Joe. Okay? Is that a satisfactory answer?"
Tentomon stopped.
He stared.
Izzy sighed. "Let me guess - you think it's the stupidest and most disgusting thing you've ever heard."
"How could I? I still barely understand this 'love' stuff. It's just that if you're in love with Joe..."
"Yes? What about it?"
"You might want to turn around." Tentomon punctuated the dry observation by pointing behind Izzy with one claw.
Izzy turned around.
Tall and thin, backlit by the moonlight, arms crossed, azure hair shining softly and dusky eyes fixing Izzy with an unreadable gaze behind his glasses, there stood Joe.
All the color drained out of Izzy's face.
There were several long, tense, moments of silence.
Izzy swallowed. "Hi, Joe."
Joe nodded in response. "You love me, huh?"
Izzy went redder than his hair and looked down. "How much did you hear?"
"I woke up about halfway through your lecture to Tentomon on love."
"So basically, you heard a lot more than I would have liked you to hear," Izzy muttered, covering his face with one hand.
"Yeah." Joe sat down, so as to be more on Izzy's level. "Look - Izzy, it's okay. I'm not mad or anything."
Izzy spread his fingers apart, peeking out at Joe. "You're not?"
Joe smiled a little and shook his head. "Absolutely not. I can't understand why I would be mad."
The younger boy was too surprised to respond. Joe met Izzy's eyes.
"Remember what you were telling Tentomon about love? When you want the other person to feel the same way?"
"Well, yes..."
Joe shyly looked down, unable to keep the eye contact. A faint line of crimson had touched his cheeks.
"I've been wanting that for a long time, Izzy." His voice was little more than a whisper. He looked up again, smiled tentatively, and leaned forward, kissing Izzy softly on the lips.
Izzy thought his heart would stop right then and there. He stared at Joe as he pulled away. Both boys were blushing.
"Joe..." His voice came out thin and choked. He swallowed and tried again. "Joe, tell me this isn't some kind of cruel joke."
"It's not." Joe reached out and took Izzy's hands in his. He took a deep breath. "I love you."
Time came to a halt. Izzy stared into Joe's eyes, eyes that were far too honest and loving for this to be a lie. A slow smile spread over Izzy's face.
"Joe!" He practically threw himself into Joe's arms, holding him tightly, trembling with happiness. "Joe, I love you!"
The two held each other for a long, long time. Eventually, they pulled away. Joe tenderly caressed Izzy's cheek.
"Come on, now - it's past our bedtime."
Izzy nodded quietly. They pulled apart, and headed back towards the camp, Tentomon trailing behind. As soon as Joe lay down, Izzy snuggled up next to him. Joe blushed.
"We'll have to explain to the others when they find us like this..."
"I have full confidence in our ability to handle that situation," Izzy mumbled, his voice muffled by Joe's vest.
Joe smiled sideways. That expanded vocabulary was one of the quirks that made Izzy so endearing.
"I have full confidence in your full confidence," he remarked. Izzy laughed softly.
"Goodnight, Joe."
"G'night, Izzy."
Tentomon watched the two drift off to sleep in slight confusion.
"I still don't understand love," he said quietly to nobody in particular, curling up to go to sleep.