It was a few weeks after Elec Man and Bubble Man had first met; a few weeks after that day which had meant the beginning of the somewhat unlikely friendship that had since grown between the two. They had frequently met to talk since that day, as Elec came to the river quite often, so they could meet up almost every day.
Elec never did complain about Bubble Man's insistence to talk every time Elec came to the river; Talking to Bubble was just as relaxing to him as staring at the water, as he knew the aquatic 'bot would listen to him eagerly, and Elec, being who he was, enjoyed that kind of attention, even from a deeply flawed Wily 'bot. He had to admit he saw him as a friend, though not as an equal, but only because he could not see anyone as an equal; he was way too prideful for that.
Even if he did not have those glaring design flaws, Elec knew, Bubble could never be as perfect as himself. Still, there was something in the back of his head that would nag him whenever he planned on saying something scathing to the aquatic Robot Master. It silently reminded him there was no need to be rude to Bubble Man, even though he was so imperfect, after all, those flaws were Wily's fault, and Elec regarded Bubble as just enough of a friend to not want to point them out needlessly.
This day was no different than any other since they'd met. Bubble would tend to talk excitedly for a while, now more used to talking. After Bubble would calm down, Elec would tell him about his day. Even telling him some of his opinions on things. Opinions he was not fond of sharing with most people, but heck, Bubble wasn't going to tell anyone, and Elec liked the way he listened so intently, with the kind of genuine and eager interest that would be impossible to fake, especially for a socially awkward 'bot like Bubble Man.
That was the kind of attention and interest he expected from others. One of the reasons he could not help but be fond of Bubble; he could see him for what he truly was. He knew this 'bot was smarter then would seem, despite his social ineptness and the flaws in his design, which made it impossible for him to leave the water for longer than about ten minutes. Thus this admiration was truly by choice and not just the result of stupidity. He liked that in Bubble Man, it definitely was one of the main things that made Elec consider him to be a friend.
Just a friend? Well, perhaps there was a little more. Elec Man wasn't eager to admit this, but it was more than just a grudging respect that kept him coming to visit the other. It wasn't really any kind of physical attraction, as Elec was by no means very eager to touch the aquatic 'bot. -it wouldn't be good for his electric weapon, anyway- No, it was more of an emotional thing. A sure fondness that Elec Man just could not quell. He'd tried, oh yes he had, but it would not be removed. He had no idea if the other felt the same way; he could not tell if the other's devotion was due to attraction or if it was merely out of respect.
He told himself, then and there, that he would ask, Of course, he would not admit his own feelings, oh no. He might reveal them if the other felt the same way, but for the time being it would be a secret, disguised by his deceptive calm, as he was very good at hiding his true feelings.
When Bubble came up to meet him, they spoke for a while, catching up on the day's happenings and sharing some experiences. Once they'd finished talking about that, though, Elec gave the other a serious look, which was answered to with an eager, but somewhat uncertain smile.
"Ah, is something the matter, Elec?" Bubble started,looking somewhat alarmed. Elec Man grinned feebly and shook his head with a hint of amusement. "You like me, don't you, Bubble?" he said, a light smirk starting on his lips. Bubble tilted his head a little, surprised by that question. " Well of course...we're friends, right?" he mumbled, grinning up at him a bit. Elec shook his head. "You know what I meant." he simply stated, finding a sort of cruel satisfaction in seeing the other robot's baffled expression as he realized what the electric 'bot had meant.
Bubble Man could feel himself blush a bit, glad for the fact that his mask and helmet hid most of his face. "I don't mean to..." he stammered; "I mean, I didn't mean to..." He stared at him a little helplessly. "Please don't be mad at me for it. I didn't mean to..."
"Shush." Elec Man smiled a little, disarmingly, leaning close over the water as he looked down at his friend. Friend and admirer, he realized, now, as the other had in no way denied his little 'accusation'. It was an expected outcome, and one which made Elec's robotic heart fill with some sort of excitement, although you could not tell this just from looking at him, as he retained his usual calm.
A gloved hand reached down towards Bubble Man; he did not shrink back from it, feeling somewhat assured by Elec Man's gentle touch as the electric 'bot placed his hand on Bubble's cheek, his expression softening a bit as he lowered his head towards the other's ear, just for a moment before the smug smirk he usually wore wiped it away again. "I like you as well." were the hushed words he spoke to Bubble.