Author's note: Growing up, I was a huge fan of Megaman. I didn't play the games much on my own, but I was hooked on the lore. Until today I still follow the scene.

Actor AUs had floated around in the form of comics now and again. So I thought maybe it's time to really flesh out that concept and see where it leads. I wanted to keep their personalities intact, even though they had led different lives in a non-violent world.

This should be a short and sweet story. See how many references you can spot ;)

Year 22XX, Abel City.

A blue robot hung up his white doctor's coat in the staff locker. It's the end of his shift, and he looked forward to a well-earned rest.

"You're going home early today, X."

"Yeah. Not many patients. I hope you don't mind closing the clinic this time, Lifesaver."

"It's fine," Lifesaver answered.

X then asked, "Will you be coming for the reunion?"

"I haven't decided yet," he said. "They may not even remember me since I only played a minor role once."

"You should," X encouraged. "I'm sure Alia would be happy to see you."

The other doctor was surprised. "She's attending? I must have missed the memo. Hmm… that changes things. Anyways, you should go. Don't keep your family waiting. Goodnight, X."

"Night, doc."

After locking up his stash, X left for the parking lot. His trusty air-bike waited under the shade of a mechanical tree.

To the front was the towering skyscrapers of Abel City's administration center. It had stood tall for over a century, uniting law-enforcers of robots and mankind under one roof.

To the back, it's the quaint shoplot of the clinic he worked in. Lifesaver was the lot's owner: a certified general mechanic. He didn't have a shiny specialist's label, but he's good at what he does.

Since he didn't need a whole building to himself, he rented the space out to other medical practitioners. One of such beneficiaries was X himself. He's forever grateful that Lifesaver helped him secure a steady job.

X hopped on his bike and hit the road. Further and further he drove away from the bright bustle of Abel's centre. His destination: a quiet suburb where his family home had stood for ages.

People have questioned why he hasn't moved out yet. Perhaps he should. But then again, his previous career made him realise that he should treasure his family. He didn't want that other lonely possibility turn into reality.

Home sweet home. As X raised the garage doors, he noticed the additional occupant of a shield-themed car.

Brother Blues paid a visit? Heh. Dad would be happy.

Spirits high, X entered the family home…

…Only to meet trouble at the tea table.

Doctor Albert Wily, immortalized in a hard-light hologram program.

Oh. Okay. Figures that he hitched a free ride.

"Hi, Uncle Wily," X greeted. "Y-you're looking for Dad, right? I think he's in the dojo. I'll go get him for you."

Doctor Wily tapped his skull-top cane on the ground. "You're not escaping from me this time, X! Come and sit down!"

Gulp. That was a failure.

Uncle Wily had always been an intense person. Passion exuded from every aspect of his life, from his creative writing to his robotics to his parental discipline. Woe to anyone who didn't live up to his ideal.

Without a choice, X sat down on the sofa.

The old man huffed. "Why did you quit acting?"

He saw that question coming from a mile away. Uncle Wily had been sore about this for ages. X tried many times to explain himself, but… that elder was notorious for his stubbornness.

He wanted to remain as calm as possible. Be the better person.

"Uncle Wily," said X, "Acting is not a sustainable. The successful ones are just a fraction of the industry. And even then, it depends too much on popularity. At one point, everyone in the Light Household was out of work. That's when I realised that at least one of us should have a stable job."

Wily replied, "That's noble of you, I can't deny that. Going to medical school is not a small investment either. But then, why in the world did you become a glorified massage boy?! Chiropractic is not even a real medical field!"

"Uncle Wily. For the last time, I'm a physiotherapist. Not a chiropractor. I may do similar things, but it's not the same."

"Bah! Whatever it was, that's far away from your initial dreams! Boy. Look. Did Light ever tell how our legacy began in the first place?"

"Yes," X sighed, "I heard it more from you than from him though."

"Then let me remind you!" Wily puffed his chest. "We met during college, trying to build a robot with a true soul. But, our ignorant peers kept worrying about a robot apocalypse. As if ROBOTS were the fault of that nonsense!"

"That's when Light and I started making movies: a precautionary tale against the hypocritical humbug of humanity! We starred ourselves and our own creations because we were on a shoestring budget. Yet, it became a worldwide success!"

No matter how many times X heard that tale, it was always a wonder. From nothing to fame overnight.

But Zero didn't care. At least he wasn't as violent as Bass. That guy snapped. Hard.

X said, "Uncle Wily, I respect your efforts. It's just… maybe acting isn't the right field for me."

"Again with that talk!" Wily waved his holographic cane over his head. "I told you this many times already, X. The real fault lies with the producers! Executive meddling at its worst! Their greed insists that they get the final say in anything, a true stifle of the creative mind."

"Of all the Lights, YOU have the greatest potential. You just need give yourself a proper chance!"

Then, the voice of a young girl interrupted the uncomfortable talk. "Quit bothering my little brother, you old coot."

It's Roll, the eldest sister of the Lights. Whenever Uncle Wily visited the household, she would grab her infamous broom. They had a thorny history together, from what he had observed.

"Bah!" Wily exclaimed. "And YOU quit your mollycoddling! That's the problem with the Light Household. Too soft."

Roll set her broom down like a spear. Despite her dainty looks and the lack of combat roles, she won't hesitate to make her point. Many a times she had kicked Dad out of his office so she could clean it up.

Indeed. If the situation worsened, Roll would 'sweep' Doctor Wily out of the house.

"Says the parent being parented by his own kids," Roll criticised. "Everyone knew you tried to groom Zero into a superstar. Well, you got your wish. He already had his own series. Is that not enough?"

Wily crossed his arms. "Hmph. You underestimate their bond, Roll. There's nothing more heart-stringing than a best-friends-best-rivals dynamic. Zero's solo tale was just that: solo. X was hardly in the picture."

"I knew it. You're just as selfish as ever."

X remembered that. It came out of nowhere. One moment, it was a normal day. The next, he saw his old friend on the big screens.

Zero starred in his own tale, in a future that evolved from the cataclysmic event of their fifth movie. It enjoyed good success. The writers wanted to solidify their lore, so they contacted X in person. He accepted the job for old time's sake.

It was great to see his best buddy making a name for himself.

"Now, now. There's no need to fight, both of you."

Doctor Light, the other patriarch of modern robotics, walked towards the tea table. He too had immortalized himself as a hologram. He also had a mechanical clone of himself to practice his hobby: martial arts.

"Finally, Thomas." Wily grumbled. "You sure took your own sweet time. Our new movie is not going to write itself!"

Light rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Albert. You did come earlier than expected."

"That's because Blues wanted to use his second studio. Hmph. I still don't understand why didn't he move everything to my place."

"Oh… if that's the case, X can help him out." Doctor Light tapped his son's shoulder, hinting a way out of Wily's scrutiny.

Opportunity at last. The blue one hopped off the sofa. "Great idea! I'll go to Brother Blues right now. Bye, Uncle Wily."

X walked so fast, he couldn't hear the elder's full complaints.

Blues' room also doubled as a music studio. When the composer works, nobody would be allowed inside. That made his studio the perfect hideaway from any trouble… provided one doesn't bother the musician.

The door was slightly ajar. He already expected a visitor. Must have arranged it with Dad.

Blues peeked between the gaps, still wearing his classic huge shades. "Welcome to the refugee camp," he said.

X replied with an awkward chuckle. "May I?"

"Sure. You're one of the better brothers anyway."

Out of all the members of the Light Household, Blues had the most impressive decor. Drum set at one corner. Electronic piano in another. A handcrafted wooden violin, mounted on the wall. With all that stuff, the recharge pod almost couldn't fit inside.

The editing station upgraded too. It used to have two screens. Now it had four. There were a bunch of other equipment that X couldn't describe.

The most treasured collection was displayed behind a protective glass wall. It featured woodwind instruments from around the world, ranging from oboes to flutes to pipes to piccolos to whistles.

"Wow." X blurted.

Blues smirked. "Been a while isn't it? My collection grew a lot since you last visited."

"Why didn't you keep them at Uncle Wily's place?" X asked. "You live there most of the time."

"Too public. I lost a few instruments to the cheekier busybodies. Since then, I kept the valuables here. The Lights are the only one who respects my privacy."

"I see…"

Blues pointed to an electric guitar. "Looks familiar?"

That's an object that X didn't expect to see again. It was the blue-and-white guitar he once promoted for the soundtrack collection. Posed with it for the pictures, signed it, and then gave it back for an auction.

To think his brother wound up as the current owner… what a small world.

"Why don't you give it a try?" said Blues. "It'll help cleanse the old man's raving out of your mind."

"Ah…" X rubbed the back of his helmet, a habit he picked up from his father. "I don't know how to play a guitar. It was just for the photos."

"Don't let Elec hear that. He'll zap the house."

X laughed. "You better teach me then."

It turned into an impromptu guitar lesson. Blues taught X how to set up the electric guitar, the notes of the open strings, and the logic behind the fretboard…

Twenty minutes later, X could play a simple song.

Blues smiled. "I have to admit. I'm a bit jealous of you."

"Why?" the younger brother blinked. "You were the cutting-edge prototype too. One of the founding machines."

"Well. I'm an old, outdated robot by now. On the other hand, you have an insane learning rate. Keeps you relevant no matter the era."

Leaning against his chair, Blues continued: "I know you idolize Zero. But, he has his weaknesses. Outside of his main talents, he's quite ordinary. You? You have the ability to learn anything under the sun. That's true 'potential'."

X frowned. "Are we forgetting about Brother Rock? He has the same talent too."

Just the mere mention of the second brother's name irritated Blues. "Comparing to him is a waste of time."

"But Brother Rock is the main face of the whole series," said X. "He's also the only one who remained popular. The Smash Arena came looking for him, remember? It's the reason why Dad had the opportunity to make a new movie now."

"One of the many reasons." Blues waved his finger. "A big part of Rock's revival was due to the failure of another series. Remember Mighty Number 9? And the subsequent outrage?"

"Yeah…" X sighed. "What a shame. They had great concepts too."

Mighty Number 9 promised bring back the golden era of robotic shows. With a modern twist, so they claimed.

Reception was overwhelmingly positive at first. But, as time went by there were rumours of production troubles. It didn't help that the PR management didn't do a good job in damage control.

In the end, public opinion considered Mighty Number 9 as a flop. Critics began to dig up Doctor Wily and Doctor Lights' classic movies. They showcased the games based on that concept, and talked about how fun it used to be. The comparison was what truly renewed the interest of robot fiction. Irony at its finest.

Many disgruntled fans felt justified over Mighty's poor reviews, but X sympathized with the crew. Nothing hurts more than putting their all and failing nonetheless. The events reminded him too much of his own past.

Blues pointed square at X's face. "There. That's why I say comparing to Rock is a waste of time."

"Huh?" X looked up.

"He's too naive to see that he's building on another person's ashes. On the other hand, your conscience knew the truth right away."

Between the brothers, Blues was the more cynical one. He had gone through some hard times as a freelance musician: from demanding clients to poor marketing.

"X, being a physiotherapist is a good thing. Forget about Wily. You live your own life: that's all that matters."

X smiled. "I don't have any hard feelings against Uncle Wily. I understand his frustrations. He's been around for two centuries, yet he still couldn't complete a proper Magnum Opus. It must be a huge disappointment."

"You're too nice," said Blues. "That man needs to learn some gratitude. A Magnum Opus is meaningless if he ends up being alone. Bass? Ran away. Zero? Gone indie. Everyone else kept distance at an arm's length. They don't talk to him more than they needed to."

"But you stayed."

Blues shrugged. "More out of obligation. I'm the eldest of both families, and I can't let the poor Japanese godson carry all the weight."

There's a reason why everyone compared Blues to a cat. He tries to act aloof and uncaring, but the reality was quite the opposite.

The computer started to beep. "Meeting calls," Blues swiveled his chair towards the multi-screen computer. "Stay as long as you'd like, X."

"Thanks, Brother Blues."

So, X spent the rest of the evening practicing on his guitar. It was more pleasant than expected. Then again, he had no pressure. Everything was on his own leisure.

No expectations to meet.
No patients to treat.
No imaginary civilians to save.

It's just himself and the sweet sound of music.