"Afraid? I'm not afraid of anything, it's everyone else who's-"
"Not of yourself. It's everyone else. You're so scared, all the time, of what everyone else thinks of you. That they'll look inside you and see exactly what Shido does. You're terrified of the possibility that they'll reject you, so you convince yourself they will- and that you hate them for it. And it's all a lie."
"Convince myself- where are they, then?! Where are the people who supposedly care so goddamn much, Ken's conspicuously absent, guess he finally had enough, and Falcon made it real fucking clear what he really thought of me-" he gestured, wildly, at those behind him. "And this is your evidence to the contrary?! A boy I've exchanged all of two words with, a pack of perfect fucking strangers, and some bitch who couldn't keep her nose out of my business-"
"Don't call her that!" The Shadow was on his feet, now, eyes watering, but he hadn't been the only one who'd spoken.
Goro froze, turned to glare at the avian digimon who'd interrupted.
Rookmon faltered. "I- well, you shouldn't! Miss Akane has done nothing but try to help you, and so has everyone here! I can't- I can't do this, Goro, I can't watch you sabotage yourself like this, let that- that foul man drip poison in your ear when he isn't even around! Please, Goro, I can see where this ends and I- I've no wish to watch someone I care for so deeply die!"
For a moment- just a moment- Wolf faltered. His expression softened. And then it hardened again. "Then you're delusional." He turned back to his Shadow, stalking towards the child with a scowl. "You want me to accept you, right?"
The Shadow was hesitant, eyes betraying a momentary fear. "Wait-"
Wolf picked him up by the collar, willfully ignored the warning growl from Loogarmon. "Alright. I accept. This fear, this need, this childish desperation-"
"Stop it-"
"It's all me."
"You're hurting-"
Loogarmon stood, glare fixated on Wolf as though prepared to lunge. Rookmon was saying something, pleading, but he couldn't hear.
"I accept you, so you go away. But I don't. Need. You. Not when survival is the stakes. You're dead weight. So do us both a favor… and die."
no subject
"Not of yourself. It's everyone else. You're so scared, all the time, of what everyone else thinks of you. That they'll look inside you and see exactly what Shido does. You're terrified of the possibility that they'll reject you, so you convince yourself they will- and that you hate them for it. And it's all a lie."
"Convince myself- where are they, then?! Where are the people who supposedly care so goddamn much, Ken's conspicuously absent, guess he finally had enough, and Falcon made it real fucking clear what he really thought of me-" he gestured, wildly, at those behind him. "And this is your evidence to the contrary?! A boy I've exchanged all of two words with, a pack of perfect fucking strangers, and some bitch who couldn't keep her nose out of my business-"
"Don't call her that!" The Shadow was on his feet, now, eyes watering, but he hadn't been the only one who'd spoken.
Goro froze, turned to glare at the avian digimon who'd interrupted.
For a moment- just a moment- Wolf faltered. His expression softened. And then it hardened again. "Then you're delusional." He turned back to his Shadow, stalking towards the child with a scowl. "You want me to accept you, right?"
The Shadow was hesitant, eyes betraying a momentary fear. "Wait-"
Wolf picked him up by the collar, willfully ignored the warning growl from Loogarmon. "Alright. I accept. This fear, this need, this childish desperation-"
"Stop it-"
"It's all me."
"You're hurting-"
Loogarmon stood, glare fixated on Wolf as though prepared to lunge. Rookmon was saying something, pleading, but he couldn't hear.
"I accept you, so you go away. But I don't. Need. You. Not when survival is the stakes. You're dead weight. So do us both a favor… and die."
And the Shadow screamed.