A/N: I know Raoul and Laika only interacted once and that was in one episode of the anime but I fell in love with their dynamic instantly

also no other fanfic exists of these two at all so I figured why not be the first

"Whether or not he saved me makes no difference."

Laika had been lying face up on his bed, complaining to his Navi for approximately two hours straight about his new Net Savior partner. With his temporary elongated stay in Japan and a certain someone's sudden arrival, a series of very unfortunate events led Laika to be paired on regular missions with someone he hadn't exactly been on the greatest of terms with. It was times like these that Laika severely regretted staying so long in Japan. He could only hope that he could take on whatever threats may come without extra help, but that kind of thinking was usually quite fruitless.

Though, yes, Raoul was a talented Net Battler, he was in no position to put his skills where they did not belong.

It made no sense, really - the older man was not at all a true Net Savior, yet he still responded to threats. Decidedly, he practically was a Net Savior, what with how he was contacted whenever he was in town to take care of threats that normal Net Saviors would do fine getting rid of. The only difference was that he refused to take on the title and very rarely followed orders. Back when Laika had first met Raoul, those things irked him to no end. Now that he had been outside of Sharo and around people who were considerably less than strict, they barely bothered him. Still, their first meeting made quite the impression. Back then, Raoul had saved him, and he had saved Raoul, but they were by no means on exceptionally great terms.

They didn't hate each other, but they were not exactly friends.

And this sort of relationship was not one that Laika was used to. Unfortunately (or, perhaps, fortunately), he had taken to expressing his otherwise supressed anger to his Navi. Not having to hold back anymore was definitely a relief. However, all the years of controlling his emotions had taken their toll on him. Feelings came far more easily to him now that he was enabling himself to acknowledge them. It must have been the time he'd been spending away from Sharo, but Laika had changed considerably over the last few years. Enough long months in Japan made him - well, for lack of better word - soft, as well as much more prone to expressing his emotions, which was an incredible sight to behold.

And Searchman supposed he should have been grateful that his Net Op was opening up this much, even in private, but it was more tiring than anything else. In a way, Searchman was glad his Net Op was being more open. However, it was far more exhausting being expected to have an independent opinion and express it than it was to simply follow orders.

And Laika had been asking for Searchman's opinion a lot lately.

"Laika, do you wish to deny missions with him?"

He promptly scoffed at Searchman, which was something he would only do if the green-clad Navi had said something completely ridiculous. Which he did. "Refusing a mission for petty personal issues is not befitting of a Sharo soldier," he thought for a moment before adding, "Or a Net Savior in general, for that matter. It's out of the question."

At least, in Searchman's eyes, the emotionally detached Net Operator was still rational. Even if he did not exactly want to be paired with Raoul, he was still perfectly willing to do whatever it took to protect everyday citizens.

Exasperated by the stubbornness of his human companion, Searchman sighed. "You should not subject yourself to Raoul's presence if you dislike him this much, is all I am saying."

As a mirror to his Navi, Laika sighed as well, lifting his PET to stare blankly into the screen.

"I do not dislike him," For a moment, he paused. "I simply do not appreciate civilians purposefully putting themselves in danger's way. He'll get himself - or Thunderman - hurt eventually. It is bound to happen."

It was fairly easy to hate Raoul for how willing he was to constantly put himself in immediate peril. Unfortunately for Laika, it was also fairly difficult to hate Raoul for the exact same reason. In many ways, the two of them were similar - the pride for their people was their drive and what caused them to Net Battle. Then again, Laika did not feel a personal desire to protect his people. Rather, it was a need, a physical necessity placed around the level of above both food and sleep, where Raoul's drive came from his heart. Somehow, it was noble. But of course, to be noble is also to be foolish.

"You must understand." It took all of Laika's willpower to withold his irritation as he tried to explain his point of view. "Raoul is a regular person. He has family and friends who are not in immediate need for his skills. The Net Saviors can do just fine without him. The fact that he is purposefully putting himself in situations where he can be harmed is ludicrous, to say the least."

In a way, Searchman agreed. Raoul's pride was in many ways potentially dangerous to himself and the people around him. The selflessness of the older man could easily in some form or another backfire.

"Still, his skills have saved lives where they would otherwise be lost," Searchman pressed on. "Yours, for example."

There inlied the problem. Laika did not hold nearly as much animosity toward Raoul as he did when they had first met. After they'd saved each other, they were on much friendlier terms. That did not quite mean they were friends, but it meant they did not exactly hate each other. On the other hand, Laika could imagine getting along with the older man now, whereas he could not before. Years with the other, much younger Net Saviors had loosened him and gave him a better perspective on things he was previously alien to. Like relaxation. And rollerblading.

"I know that."

He didn't know much else to say. What was the use in arguing against a point he couldn't find a fault in? On a lighter note, perhaps seeing Raoul would not be as difficult as Laika expects. Laika was more than willing to make peace with the man, and somewhat expected the same from him, if he remembered his laid-back nature correctly. Though even with how much Laika had softened up over time, he still found it hard to think of someone like Raoul as a potential friend.

For a moment, Searchman went completely silent, catching his attention.

"...Laika," he said after a minute or so.

"Yes, Searchman, what is it?"

"You have a call coming in. It's about viruses attacking the nearby...curry shop. They appear to be blocking all of the system's natural defenses."

Huffing in surprised amusement, Laika got to his feet. "Curry shop? Seems an odd place to attack." After a moment's thought, he stopped. "Does it...does it happen to be the curry shop those former WWW members run?"

"Yes, that is the one."

"Why exactly are they incapable of taking care of it, then?"

Searchman remained expressionless, but his voice showed impatience. "They seem to have left the curry shop to a couple of normal civilians. They are nowhere to be found - more specifically, I did not look for them."

Nodding, Laika replied, "No problem either way. We'll easily get rid of the viruses."

Being a Net Savior was luckily a fast-paced job. It certainly helped with the fact that Raoul had decided to show up to the shop.

It wasn't a huge surprise, really. They'd gone on a couple of missions together in the previous few weeks, so it would make sense that they would end up in the same place again. Net Saviors were rather rare for a number of reasons. Technology advanced quickly and people, as well as their Navis, had to advance with it to take down whatever new threats there might be. Not to mention it was was a job where Navis frequently get erased if the Operators were not careful enough, and due to the emotional connections most had with their Navis, they generally refrained from that.

And even with that justification, Laika already knew that Raoul was a trusted Net Savior in the area, even if he refused to take on the title.

Another reason came to mind as he approached the burning curry shop. It's also, physically speaking, a very dangerous job. Raoul had arrived at the scene as well, just a few seconds later.

"A fire!" A man Laika didn't recognize came running out. "Th - there's a fire! I didn't do anything wrong, I swear!"

"I'm not getting paid to deal with this!" Another man yelled, sprinting from the same direction. Laika watched as the two stared frantically at the burning building, putting together that they were probably the ones in charge of the shop at the time. The one day those trained Net Battlers leave, and it's when their shop needs them the most...

"Raoul!" he yelled out, catching the man's attention immediately. "I'm going to have Searchman determine if there's a main source to the viruses. Have Thunderman do a perimeter check - make sure no viruses are trying to get away!"

Thankfully, Raoul seemed to agree with the plan, as his response was to laugh and shrug. "A man of strategy, huh? Alright, Thunderman, let's block off any escapees."

For a moment, Laika hesitated, wondering if his orders were too strict, if his voice was too loud, if it really even was okay to be telling Raoul what to do. All of these concerns, he wouldn't have even dreamed of thinking about before he began to spend the majority of his time here, and he cursed himself for being so ridiculously self-conscious. He really shouldn't have been so worried. Raoul listened to him, right? He agreed, at least, and his commands didn't cause an unnecessary fight. That was all that mattered. This time, they didn't cause a fight, his brain then said to him. What about next time, though?

He had to shake his head to get his mind off of it when he heard his Navi's distressed voice.

"I don't understand," extreme confusion clouded Searchman's face. "I thought we sealed off the area. How are new ones appearing?"

Wondering the same thing, Thunderman scanned the area.

"It isn't that new ones are appearing," Thunderman said in slow realization. "They're multiplying!"

Hearing this, Searchman groaned in frustration. "So there is no source. We just have to keep deleting them?"

"That is all we can do, but - "

As he spoke, Searchman's eyes widened, but he did not have the time to warn the other Navi of what surprised him. Abruptly, Thunderman was cut off when a hoard of the small viruses crashed into his back. Stumbling forward, he was hurled to the hex ingrained floor with a grunt and the viruses promptly piled onto him, attempting to hold him down completely. At this, Laika's eyes widened in distress - he had to take care of both multiplying viruses and a damaged Navi now - and he turned to glare at the other man. "You're more trouble than you're worth!"

"Fine," Raoul off-handedly spoke, too focused on the issue to be deterred by Laika's insult. Honestly, it only fueled his anger. "I'll buy you curry later or something to make up for it."

In response, Laika visibly cringes. "I'll pass." Spending time alongside him on the job was tiring enough - Laika didn't want to go out of his way to have a casual dinner with the man. "Searchman! Find any way at all to take them out!"

"I'm attempting to, Laika," Searchman replied, frustrated. "There isn't - "

Whatever Searchman had said, Laika didn't hear it. Just then, the counter closest to the stove busted into flames, setting the tarp above it on fire and filling the upper air with smoke. Laika began to sweat nervously at the damage being done; the fire didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon and the number of viruses wasn't getting any smaller. Sure, he'd been trained to handle tough situations, but he had recently been in a considerably more laid-back situation than the one he grew up in, and fires generally weren't an issue his home had to deal with. Sensing his anxiety, Raoul began to search his brain for an idea. "A barrage," he said quickly.

"What?"

"We'll gather them up, then take them all down at once with a barrage." Despite his uncertainty, he smiled reassuringly at Laika. "You get enough firepower for that?"

Jerking his head forward, Laika narrowed his eyes. "Obviously, I do," he replied in a scoff.

Regardless of the fact that his face was scrunched up in annoyance, he was visibly more relaxed, so all Raoul could bring himself to do was grin wider. "You heard that, Thunderman?"

"Yes," the yellow Navi replied in confirmation and immediately went to the task of attracting the virus' attention. He shot at the feet of them, dodged attacks, and tried pulling them into corners, but nothing seemed to work. Suddenly, he realized Searchman was also unwittingly drawing some of them toward him. "Searchman!" he yelled over. "Hide, so that they only go after me!" Without a word, Searchman obliged, dashing behind a pillar. Almost instantaneously, the interest was turned on Thunderman, and the viruses began to close in.

As the operators watched in silent stress, Thunderman stood perfectly still, allowing the viruses to inch forward and back him into a wall. Closer and closer, until they were right at his feet. Then, he jumped.

Turning in mid-air, he aimed his beam at the group of viruses and at the same moment, Searchman was firing, eliminating them all instantly. As the last of them were deleted, the fire in the shop died down and eventually fizzled out, leaving a good portion of the kitchen charred and black and smelling vaguely like burnt food.

After a few seconds, Laika's heart rate decreased, but he glanced frantically around for the two men running the shop. Just a moment later, they stood from behind the counter, and before Laika could open his mouth, Raoul said essentially the same thing that had been on his mind.

"Hey," he started, sounding out of breath. "I hope you guys know that it takes some pretty advanced programming to make a self-sustaining virus like that. It's almost impossible this place wasn't attacked deliberately." His eyes wandered between the two of them. "Do either of you have any idea of who might have done this?"

Even before he finished his question, they began to shake their heads wildly. "No, no!" one replied. "We have no idea! We - we were just told to run the shop for the day, and that if anything happened, to call the Net Saviors. Lucky, huh?"

The two men laughed nervously and began talking among themselves, leaving Raoul and Laika to work out exactly what had happened themselves.

Raoul shifted his gaze. "Hey, you don't think...?"

"Attacking their own shop, just to get at the Net Saviors?" Laika paused with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "That almost sounds...smart."

At that, Raoul laughed loudly. "Yeah, almost."

A moment passed. Laika realized then that he should probably thank him for the suggestion that ended up saving the shop, and essentially saving their lives, but even the way he was after having been away from Sharo, he still wasn't that great at acts of gratitude. He squinted his eyes, looked away and wondered what he could possibly say, or maybe do.

"You know," Laika finally said, "I think I'd like to take you up on that curry offer."

Raoul looked at him in surprise before smiling letting out a huff. "Alright, but I don't think here's a good place."

"You look a little different from when I last saw you," Raoul said. "Dressing a bit lighter, huh?"

Laika raised his eyebrows. It had been some time since he'd last worn his coat, which meant it had been even longer since he'd last seen Raoul. "I have to. It's too hot here. My coat feels like a constant sauna."

In all honesty, it wasn't that bad. Laika had experience with temperature training, so a little uncomfortable heat was no real problem. Still, it proved to be inconvenient. If there was one thing that Laika hated more than almost anything else, it was unnecessary inconvenience, so he decided on ditching the coat entirely. For a while, he felt almost too exposed with it off, even though his outfit still covered his whole body. Much like everything else in the odd place he now called a home away from home, though, he got used to it and eventually stopped even noticing he didn't have it on. For a moment, he felt like he should be more uncomfortable with the fact that he'd begun to consider Densan so familiar.

Raoul let out a huff of laughter, which felt more like sound to fill the silence than actual humor or amusement. "That's interesting," he mumbled. "It's the opposite for me. My people are more used to the heat than others might be. Feels pretty cold over here in comparison."

"Your people..." Shifting his spaced out eyes, Laika tilted his head. "They are why you fight, is that correct?"

He could see how Raoul's eyes widened for a second in faint surprise. "Something like that," he replied, setting his silverware down and folding his hands. "It's the pride of my people that keeps me going. I thought you'd have understood that, but I guess you see it in a different way, huh?"

The words cut like a knife, but the same laid-back smile is on his face, as if it's some sort of joke that Laika shouldn't be taking seriously. Before he can think, he's shaking his head and responding frantically. "No, no, wait - you see, I misunderstood before. Your intentions and abilities, I mean." Inwardly, he cringed at how he was somehow unable to articulate his thoughts in the way he wanted to. He took a deep breath and tried slowing down. "It's different, now. I simply wasn't aware of your capabilities. That's all."

A moment passed in silence as Raoul stared, having dropped his relaxed grin in favor of a slightly puzzled and amused expression. "Is this your way of apologizing?"

If there was one thing Laika was never great at, it had to have been saying "sorry." Not wanting to admit it, he simply closed his mouth and looked down.

Raoul hummed in thought, and it was obvious that the discussion was over with. Damn it. The small talk was actually starting to feel like a real conversation, but now Laika can't think of anything to say at all. Somehow, Raoul looked perfectly content with sitting in silence, but Laika was anything other than comfortable with how he seemed unable to come up with anything to say. A long, tension-filled (on the side of Laika, at the very least) silence followed as the two finished their meals, but something caught Laika's eye as the bill for the food came.

To his distaste, the other man went to reach for it.

"You didn't need to do this," Laika narrowed his eyes, speaking quickly. "You and I have saved each other approximately the same amount of times. You don't owe me anything. I will pay for my own meal."

Shaking his head, Raoul laughed heartily. "I said I would pay, so I will. It doesn't really have to do with me owing you."

"It doesn't?" That, at least, was a surprise. "What is this, then?"

Instead of actually answering, Raoul gave a non-committal shrug. "Whatever you want it to be, I suppose." Smiling wearily, he continued. "Honestly. Netto said you've mellowed out since I last saw you, but you still seem stiff as ever."

Unsure of whether to feel endeared or insulted, Laika averted his gaze. "...I suppose."

After that moment, Raoul went quiet and raised an eyebrow. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting Laika's behavior. No doubt, he wasn't surprised at the lack of responses, but he envisioned Laika to be more cold and collected, less docile and nervous. It made sense for Laika to have changed, since it had been quite a while since they had last spoken. Hell, he reasons that he probably didn't even know Laika that well. Still, the impression was totally different.

As the two walked out of the building, Raoul noticed that even Laika's walk had slowed and relaxed somewhat. His shoulders were less tense and his brows weren't constantly furrowed in what looked like a perpetual glare. Even his clothes were looser. Raoul smiled. Whatever had happened recently to Laika, it had to have been because of Netto and Enzan.

It somehow turned the coldness into a strange, hardened timidness.

It made Laika no less intimidating, but he certainly seemed more approachable. Not that Raoul had much trouble approaching him before, but it certainly didn't feel as unwelcome.

"I guess we should head our separate ways, then," Raoul said, raising his hand in a lazy wave.

For some reason, Laika averted his eyes, looking as if he had something he wanted to say yet just couldn't find the right words for it. Slowly, he began. "You'll be here for another month or so, yes? Netto told me." He added the last part quickly.

"Yeah, I will," the older man answered, voice suddenly dripping with humor. "Why? You interested in doing this again sometime?"

Clearing his throat, Laika composed himself. "It would be natural for Net Saviors to have casual relationships."

"That's...a yes?"

Oh, this again. Laika inwardly groaned and his eyebrows twitched in mild irritation. Direct communication was usually his strong point, unless it had to do with speaking about anything other than work. He was normally fine with being negatively blunt. There's a separation from emotion when he's telling someone what they're doing wrong, but being positively blunt is almost impossible for him. He has to crack the wall he's put up around his feelings in order to compliment another, and that always ends in some level of embarrassment.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Raoul still expecting an answer with a vaguely amused expression and huffed in response. "I wouldn't be against it. I refuse to allow you to pay next time, though."

Thankfully, that was all the confirmation Raoul needed, and he gave a small smile. "Sure. I won't say no to free food."

Laika entered his room and fell onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He felt simultaneously content and nervous, heart beating at a slightly faster pace than normal, a faint heat sitting in his chest. It was a similar feeling to the one he got when he first realized he had romantic feelings for Princess Pride; not as strong, but undeniably there. He wondered what exactly that meant for him and for his newfound friendship.

Friendship. That word sounded nice. It sounded nice when referring to Netto and to Enzan and Dingo. It sounded nice when referring to Raoul.

For a moment, he stopped thinking of whether it had been a good or bad thing that he'd loosened up since spending more time outside of Sharo. Before, he could simply say that he fought to protect his people. Finally, he had specific ones, names and faces to hold dear and keep safe. It seemed as though he had a new person to add to his list.

Raoul's a friend, now, he said to himself. He couldn't quite believe it.

Then, he thought of how proud Netto and Enzan would be once they found out about it. That somehow made him even more nervous. It wasn't a feeling he was used to, this strange anxiety that belonged in the normal teenager he definitely hadn't turned out to be.

"...Laika," Searchman spoke in a quiet, surprised voice. "Are you...still uninterested in taking up missions with Raoul?"

"I told you before that refusing missions with him would be out of the question." Covering his eyes with his arm, Laika sighed. The corners of his mouth involuntarily turned upwards, voice lowering almost to a whisper. "Even if I had the choice to, though, I don't think I'd want to."