Lantern Power asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)

Mega Man and all its characters belong to Capcom. Jocu and King Laughin belong to guestsurprise. I own nothing.

From Heartache To A True Loving Family

They say some days seem very long and time can be a cruel thing to some people. Or in this case, a robot.

Bubble Man winced as Dr. Wily cruelly pulled on his wires, damaging them and then repairing them. He couldn't move because he had been clamped down to the table and a machine with hammers was pounding on his right arm and shoulders. "Useless piece of junk!" Dr. Wily said sharply, making Bubble Man bite his lip to hold in his cries.

His brothers were nearby and they looked very disturbed by what Dr. Wily was doing to their brother. For some reason, the doctor didn't think highly of Bubble Man and abused him physically and mentally, promising him things if he did what he was told, but then going back on his word and punishing the robot if he failed. Cut Man moved closer to Guts Man, who carefully wrapped an arm around him, knowing his brother was scared. He would admit he was scared too and he was a big guy, but seeing what Dr. Wily was now doing made him scared to his core.

Bubble Man winced again as the doctor continued damaging wires and repairing them, but leaving some damage so that the robot would be in pain. "Can't even carry out a simple plan to destroy that Mega Man brat and give me the chance to rule the world!" Dr. Wily snarled. "I don't know why I created such a useless robot!"

Though it had been months now and this abuse was commonplace now with Bubble Man, it still hurt, especially when the doctor berated him. "You're so weak and pathetic, Bubble Man!" Wily continued his tirade. "Your brothers are better than that! Why, Guts Man can take several hits and still stand upright! Cut Man is so agile he beats that Mega brat at dodging! And your other brothers can do the jobs properly and not trip over their own two feet!"

Bubble just managed to keep his tears back, but it was hard. Dr. Wily was right in a way. Being made for water, Bubble couldn't walk properly on land like his brothers could and he tripped a lot when he walked. And his brothers were perfect robots, as Dr. Wily wanted them to be. He felt the clamps finally lift and the hammers stopped hitting him before Wily moved away and Bubble managed to sit up, but when he stood, he wobbled and fell over, making Wily scoff. "Get up, you pathetic waste of metal!" He exclaimed and the robot struggled to his feet, but had to hold on to the counter to keep his balance. "Ah, waste of my time," the doctor said. "Guts Man! Metal Man! Take him to his room!"

The two moved toward their brother and stood on either side of him as he limped out of the room, but when they got to the stairs, Guts Man showed a softer side of himself and picked up Bubble while Metal Man placed a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder. Both were saddened because their brother wasn't only abused for his 'failures', but it was also to show the others what would happen to them if they ever tried to double cross Dr. Wily. The man was a genius, but a scary one at that.

Reaching Bubble's room, Guts Man and Metal Man looked sadder and shook their heads. Their brother's room was the ugliest one in the castle, with the walls being a dull gray, no window, and was very dirty. The only piece of furniture in the room, if you could call it that, was a mattress that lay on the floor. The other rooms, which their other brothers stayed in, were pretty and amazingly decorated. But they never rubbed it in Bubble's face, though Wily did many a time.

Seeing Bubble sad, Metal Man gently hugged him, as did Guts Man and Cut Man, who was coming up the stairs too. All three were saddened that their brother was sad and were sympathetic to him when he was sad. "Hang in there, Bubble," Cut Man said softly.

"You can always come to us for anything," Metal Man promised.

"Sorry we can't stop Dr. Wily from hurting you," Guts Man said in a saddened voice.

Bubble hugged his brothers, their sympathetic words helping to ease some of the pain. "Thanks, guys," he said softly. "And it's okay. It happens."

As he went into his room, the other three shook their heads, not liking that Dr. Wily was so abusive. When they compared their master with Dr. Light, they could see Dr. Light cared about Mega Man and Roll. But they had to do what Dr. Wily said since he had reprogrammed them. "Come on," Cut Man said softly. "We better get to the laboratory before Dr. Wily comes looking for us."

Not wanting to get punished, the other two nodded, casting sad glances at Bubble's door as they headed down the stairs.

A couple days passed and then Dr. Wily blew up at Bubble again because he had caught the robot when Bubble had stayed the night in Metal Man's bedroom. His brother had welcomed him, but when Wily found him missing from his room and found him in Metal Man's room, he was furious and not only shocked him violently with electricity to cause him pain, but then threw Bubble Man back into the ugly room and locked the door. "You'll stay in here until you learn your lesson to stay in your own place!" He yelled to the robot. "No matter how long it takes!"

Over a week later…

Metal Man looked around while Cut Man and Guts Man stood watch. "Okay," Cut Man whispered.

A space opened up in the door and Metal Man carefully set some oil and nuts and bolts inside the room. "Bubble," he called softly.

Bubble Man came closer to the door, seeing his brother bringing him food. "You can eat the oil can too," Metal Man said.

Bubble gently touched his hand. "Thank you, brother," he said softly.

Nodding, the other one stood up, closing the space in the door and turning to the others. "Are we clear?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"Clear," Guts Man said and Cut Man echoed the reply before the three scurried away so that they wouldn't get caught.

In his dark bedroom, Bubble drank the oil and ate the nuts and bolts. It was only a little bit of food, but he appreciated it because his brothers would set aside portions of their own meals and give it to him when they could, which was only about once a day, but Bubble didn't complain as he was grateful to them. Unknown to him, he had caught someone's eye and they were watching him right then.

Jocu and his father, King Laughin, were in the Tickle Realm and both were looking through a portal-like window, seeing Bubble in the dark room, eating the little food that his brothers could sneak to him while tears ran down his face at both being saddened and at missing hanging out with his brothers. Jocu felt tears come to his own eyes. "Father, can we help him?" He asked.

King Laughin gazed at the robot. "He is a robot, but yet has the same feelings that the humans you watch over have, my son," he said softly and then shook his head. "How can a scientist be so cruel to his own creation?"

Jocu looked at his father hopefully. "Father?" He asked.

The Tickle King nodded. "That young robot has been in too much pain," he said. "Jocu, will you go bring him here?"

His son looked at him in surprise and King Laughin chuckled a little before looking somber. "Just as you have a desire to bring happiness to the humans you are so fond of, I have a desire to help this robot. I would be very saddened if this happened to you or your brothers, Jocu. Therefore, I believe I can perhaps make an exception about someone not from our world becoming a permanent member of the Tickle Realm."

Realizing what his father meant, Jocu smiled and instantly teleported to Bubble's room. Landing softly, he looked to see Bubble had his eyes closed and was laying on his mattress as it was late at night. "Bubble," he called out softly to him.

Hearing his name spoken by a voice he didn't recognize, Bubble Man sat up and looked around, but then shook his head as the dark made it hard to see. "Bubble," he heard someone called to him again, but it was closer this time.

The poor robot curled up a little as he lay back down, beginning to get a little frightened. "Oh, Bubble. Don't be afraid," the voice said.

"Wh-Who are you?" Bubble asked. He hadn't heard anyone come in and the voice didn't belong to any of his brothers. Plus Wily would check on them before he went off to bed, so his brothers wouldn't be up for fear of being caught.

"Someone who has been watching you and feels the need to help you."

Jocu watched as Bubble Man seemed to be calming down, but was still upset. He moved closer and sat on the bed, making the robot jump at feeling the motion. "I'm rather curious," he said, seeing Bubble look around, but didn't see him as the Tickle Monster was using his invisibility. "Are robots as sensitive as the humans I watch over?"

As the poor robot tried to process the question, he heard a snapping sound and suddenly the room lit up, making him jump before he noted that the color of the room had changed and he glanced around to see the room was finely decorated like his brothers' rooms. The door was made of wood and was ornately carved. Now curious, Bubble went to the door and tried the handle, finding it unlocked. "Dr. Wily?" He asked softly, wondering if the doctor had decided that he had served his punishment. He opened the door to come face to face with two beings who were obviously related and both looked at him with kind smiles.

"Hello, Bubble," said the being with the kingly clothes.

The robot took a step back, unsure what was going on, but something told him he wasn't at Wily's castle. Seeing the Tickle Castle's newest occupant was looking very frightened, Jocu decided to satisfy his curiosity. "What's wrong, Bubble?" He asked softly, coming closer and making the robot back up more. "You're not afraid of the Tickle Monster, are you?"

Bubble tried to process the question, but before he could, Jocu gently grabbed him in a hug and wiggled his fingers into the robot's sides. At first, the robot froze up in fear, but then giggles began pouring from his mouth. "Why, look Father," Jocu said with a chuckle. "He's quite ticklish."

"An interesting fact, indeed," King Laughin said as he entered the room and helped his son with tickling the robot, who was now squirming and laughing as four hands tickled him, finding sensitive spots on his sides, stomach, and knees. While it seemed unusual that a robot would have tickle spots, Bubble was a sentient robot with feelings like humans, something that Jocu and King Laughin took advantage of and tickled the robot for a bit until letting him up, watching Bubble recover before the robot looked up at them.

"Who…Who are you?" He asked.

"I am King Laughin, ruler of the Tickle Realm," the king replied. "And this is Jocu, one of my sons."

Bubble looked curious. "Tickle monsters?" He asked, remembering Jocu mentioning that earlier.

"Yes," Jocu replied. "I brought you here after Father and I witnessed the abuse that horrible man put you through."

"You…You could see it?" The robot asked. "But…how?"

"We have our ways," King Laughin said gently. "But now, I have a question for you, Bubble."

"Yes, sir?" Bubble asked meekly.

The kind king placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you like your new room?" He asked and gestured around. Bubble took another look at the room and then the king's words registered.

"My…new room?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yes," King Laughin said gently. "You've been adopted in our family, young one."

Bubble was so stunned that he was wide-eyed before he blinked. "You…adopted me?" He asked and then giggled when the king gently tickled his side.

"Yes," the king responded, his voice patient.

The robot looked worried then. "But…Dr. Wily," he said, looking scared and then sad. "And…my brothers. I'll never see them again."

King Laughin placed a gentle hand under Bubble's chin and tilted his face up gently to look at him. "I'm going to have a stern talking to with that man," he said, his voice carrying an undercurrent of anger at what the man had done to the poor robot standing before him. "And, whenever you wish to, you may visit your brothers."

Bubble looked hopeful. "I can? You mean it?" He asked, hope in his voice.

"I mean it, my son," King Laughin said with a smile as tears came to Bubble's eyes. The king turned to his other son. "Jocu, would you be willing to accompany Bubble when he wishes to visit his brothers?"

"Of course, Father," Jocu answered before looking stern. "And if that Wily person dares to hurt my new little brother again, I will punish him."

King Laughin nodded. "Then I'm off to speak to Wily," he said. "Will you make your new brother comfortable and feel welcomed, Jocu?"

"Yes, Father."

As King Laughin teleported away, Jocu took Bubble on a tour of his new home, introducing him to their brothers, who welcomed him warmly, and to the other inhabitants of the castle. Bubble was amazed by everything and even got caught by a few of the tickle items as he passed by them, laughing happily and not seeming to mind being tickled.

Two months later…

Bubble Man giggled as Jocu playfully tickled him. "Did you have fun with Metal Man and Cut Man?" The tickle monster asked with an amused smile.

Giggling, Bubble nodded. King Laughin had kept his promise and Jocu took the robot to go see his brothers whenever he wished. While his brothers missed him, they were happy that he was safe and not being abused anymore. They had had a small run-in with Wily, but Jocu took care of that as he had promised. Now, Bubble ran to try and escape Jocu's ticklish clutches, but his older brother chased after him playfully, catching him as the carpet and some nearby window drapes had caught him and were tickling him, giving the red tickle monster the chance to catch his brother.

Bubble giggled and laughed before the playful game was interrupted by King Laughin, who smiled and announced it was time for dinner. The two followed him to the dining room and Bubble hugged Jocu happily. "Thank you, brother," he said softly.

"You're welcome, little brother," Jocu responded softly, hugging him back.

The heartache of Bubble's past was gone, thanks to the true loving family who that taken him in.

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GoldGuardian2418