Brotherly Love
By: Wolfemann and Pink Lemonade
Pairings: Mega Man/Duo, Mega/Protoman, Rush/Treble
Codes: Slash, M/M Relationships/Sex, Incest
Summary: Protoman brings a new acquaintance home for repairs, and winds up helping Mega Man sort a few things out - only to get fairly badly screwed up inside himself. Sequel to "Puppy Love." (Puppy Love is NC-17. This isn't. Don't go looking at it if you're not supposed to. Puppy Love can be found on Fandomination.net, through the link on SPWP's account page.)
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - Capcom does. Aren't gonna own 'em - Capcom will probably see to that if they ever see what we're doing with 'em. Not making any money off them - quite the contrary, we're still dirt poor. Not claming credit - this proves it. Not being sued - or at least we hope not.
~~~===~~~
Mega Man sat quietly outside of Dr. Light's lab, seeming to be simply passing the time without a care in the world. And, as much as he wished that were true, it was quite the opposite- the longer he sat, thinking, the more confused he got. He couldn't quite place *why* he was bothered, but he could rather easily pick up *what* was causing it. Duo.
Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted by an alarm going off - somebody had just teleported into the lab who wasn't supposed to be there.
"What now," he wondered aloud, mildly annoyed, but still concerned enough over Dr. Light, Roll, and finding out who exactly had shown up uninvited to get quickly to his feet and run inside.
He spotted Protoman hurrying towards the repair bay, carrying what looked like another robot.
"Get Light," he shouted as the door closed, not really concerned about who had come in.
"Huh," Mega Man called back, but when it became apparent he either hadn't been heard or wasn't going to get a reply, he set off in search of his creator, thankfully running into him not far away from where Proto had run off. "Dr. Light!
"What's wong, Mega Man? I heawd the awawm."
"I don't really know," he replied. "But Proto Man showed up just a minute ago, and he's got someone with him. He was in a real hurry, though, and he went to the repair bay."
"Then we'd bettew huwwy," Light said, frowning as he started off in the proper direction at a fast walk.
"Yeah," Mega Man followed him at a slightly faster pace.
They found Proto setting another robot down on the main bed in the repair bay, along with a number of parts that had been torn off at some point.
"Interrupted a fight between some of Wily's left over lion-bots," the red- and-gray warrior explained. "Got them out of the way, found out what they were fighting over. Figured his best odds were bringing him back here."
"Yeah, probably," Mega agreed with a nod.
"I'w see what I can do," Light said, a grim expression on his face. "It doesn't wook good, but it's good you bwought him hewe."
"Thanks, Doc," Proto said, sighing slightly and stepping out of the way. "And sorry about the noisy arrival, didn't exactly have time to get clearance."
"Well," Mega began with a sigh. "Welcome home, even if it's not under good circumstances."
"Yeah-- Roll will probably be glad to see you back in one piece, anyway," Mega laughed. "She worries too much."
~~~===~~~
"So - how have things been going around here since I left," Proto asked as he and Mega walked towards the long-unused room he usually stayed in when he came around.
"Well enough," Mega replied with a shrug.
Proto chuckled, glancing back at the younger robot though the shades built into his helmet. "Aren't you supposed to be the enthusiastic one?"
"Judging from you, at least, I must be," Mega shot back with a laugh.
"Hey, I'm the brooding loner, you're the cheerful but naïve hero," Proto smirked. "You save the world, I pull your ass out of the binds you get into in the process. If you're going to start brooding, that means I've got to start being cheerful - and that just doesn't work with the shades."
"No, it doesn't. Not at all."
"So what are you brooding about," Proto asked idly, opening the door to his room and turning on the light, looking at it and taking note of how deep the dust was - not very, surprisingly.
MegaMan paused for a moment, then shrugged. "I dunno.. A lot of things have happened, I guess.."
"Well, I know Wily hasn't shown up since I left - that still makes the news. Some new lunatic out there I haven't heard about yet, or more normal 'things?'"
"Just things, one way or another," the younger robot repeated with a slight sigh.
"There's a bit of a difference between things that shoot at you, and things that don't," Proto pointed out, a slight frown crossing his face before he turned back around. "The ones that shoot at you usually go away after you shoot back."
"Somebody tell Wily that," Mega laughed, though it was slightly forced.
"Point made. Still, it'd be nice to know if it's anything I can help with. I may not be around here much, but it doesn't mean that I like knowing you're worried about something. Enjoying you being miserable is Bass' job."
"Thanks," Mega credited his brother. "But the thing is, *I* don't know exactly what's wrong.."
"What," Proto chuckled, clearly not really serious, "meet a girl?"'
"Um.. Not. exactly."
That got Proto's attention. "Guy," he asked, his voice fairly neutral - but not like he was trying to hide any disapproval of the possibility.
Mega's gaze lowered to the ground. "Um. yeah."
"Duo," the older robot guessed. "At least if I was reading you right after he left."
MegaMan nodded, but didn't speak.
"So what part of it has you mixed up," Proto asked.
"Well. Doesn't it seem. Odd to you?"
"Not for the past five years of so," Proto said, leaning against the doorframe with something between a smirk and a smile on his face.
"Wh-What?"
"You remember when I rescued Kalinka from Wily?"
"Yeah.."
"Well, we stayed in touch over the next couple of years. Somewhere along the lines, she decided she wanted to try doing more than friends. It didn't go very well, for a few reasons."
"Such as," Mega asked, not rudely.
"Well, we found out the hard way that I don't go for girls, first off. From there, I learned to despise the second law of robotics, before she realized I was only going along with it because I had to. She still blames herself for how that went down," he shrugged.
".Oh," Mega looked a bit embarrassed. "I see."
"At any rate," Proto continued, "I spent a good year trying to figure out what was 'wrong' with me, and eventually I figured it out. I just go for guys instead of girls. Maybe Light got a couple wires crossed," he shrugged. "Doesn't matter - I get by just fine as it is. Most of the people who know don't care, the ones who do care aren't really people I worry about too much."
"That's a good way to look at it," Mega remarked. "But.."
"But?"
"I don't know.. It just feels strange or something.."
"Could just be because it's the first time," Proto pointed out. "It's never really something you get used to, but the first time's the strangest."
"Guess so," Mega agreed, a bit uncertainly.
Proto was silent for a few moments, thinking. "There's only one part of it I can help you straighten out," he said eventually. "But I don't know if that'll help you any."
"What's that?"
"I can't really help you sort out most of the issues with Duo - but I can help you figure out if you're really interested in him that way. If you can appreciate the physical end of things."
MegaMan's face went blank for a moment, most likely trying to get a grasp around what he'd just heard. "Do you. mean what I think you mean?"
/"If it were anybody but you asking,"/ Proto thought to himself, /"I'd know myself."/
"Probably."
He was still surprised, but in spite of that, Mega raised an eyebrow at the not-quite-answer. "What do you mean," he asked, far more calmly.
Proto sighed slightly, suspecting that he'd just gone a little too far. "I mean that I'd be willing to sleep with you, to help you figure out if you can handle that part of things."
/"Just don't let him ask why.."/
"Well. why?"
Proto came up with several inventive uses for the various words he'd picked up in his travels while he tried to come up with some sort of answer other than the real reason.
"Duo might not be coming back," he eventually settled on. "And if that's the case, I'd rather you learned with somebody I can trust to be careful about it than with somebody you don't necessarily know, just because they managed to talk you into it."
"Oh," Mega trailed off.
"Damn it," Proto muttered to himself. "I didn't mean to put it like that, Mega. But the real reason - it's awkward at best."
"Real reason," MegaMan asked quietly.
"Because I want to," Proto admitted quietly. "Same reason I left last time."
MegaMan looked somewhat like a deer caught in a pair of headlights, and he opened his mouth as if to blurt something out, but then closed it, and took a deep breath followed by a shaky sigh. A moment later, he spoke. "This is going to sound stupid, but.. Why didn't you say something?"
"Refer to your expression ten seconds ago and what you were probably going to say before you thought about it," Proto sighed. "Besides - it was easier to pretend it wasn't happening."
"Hey," MegaMan protested. "I was surprised, but that doesn't mean," his attempt to find the right words failed miserably.
"That you were disturbed, freaked out, bothered, or any of the things I was when I figured it out?"
/"And still am, in a way."/
"Surprised," Mega repeated. "And I still am, but not bothered."
That seemed to surprise Proto more than anything else tonight had.
"The offer stands, if you want to take me up on it," he said eventually.
".Can't hurt," Mega decided after a few moments of deliberation. "It's the safe option, at least."
"Your place or mine," Proto asked with a weak chuckle.
"Does it matter?"
"Where ever you'd be most comfortable. Though we'll need something from mine either way."
"In that case, here's fine," Mega replied, letting out a shaky breath.
"Don't worry," the older robot said softly as he led Mega into his room. "I'll make sure we don't go too fast.."
~~~===~~~
Roll hummed cheerfully, as she passed through the halls on her way to see Dr. Light. Apparently, the robot that Proto had brought in was doing quite well, given what his condition had been. When she was beside one of the guests' rooms, she heard a rather unfamiliar, muffled sound. Curiously, she stepped towards the small control panel and looked at the screen above it. Apparently through a small screen by the door. When she found it wasn't on, she pressed it. When it flickered on, she literally swallowed a screech, the two expressions of surprise canceling each other out.
"O-Oh my gosh," she gasped when she finally came out of her shock-induced dreamlike state. Decided, she turned back towards the repair bay, but set off at a far faster pace than before and with different intentions.
When she got there, Light was bent over the injured robot, finishing up the last of the welds.
"Ah, Woll," he said as he turned around, flipping up his visor. "Gwad you could get down hewe so quickwy."
"U-Um, Doctor?" Roll began in a rush.
"Yes, Woll? What's wong?"
"I know you asked me to find Protoman, but. I kind of found MegaMan too, and."
"That's good. Did you ask them to come down hewe? I'm awmost weady to bwing Pwoto's fwiend back onwine."
"I don't think it would be very. polite to intrude right now."
"I'm suwe they'ww be wiwwing to incwude you so you could teww them that."
"That's what I'm afraid of, actually..."
"What?"
"Let's put it this way.. Any reason why you made us like humans physically?"
"Oh - uh - uhm...." Dr. Light spent several moments trying to find an explanation, a slight blush showing through his thick white beard. "Why don't you teww them waiter, Woll. I just wemembewed that I need to wun some finaw diagnostics on him."
"Wight," the elderly doctor nodded briskly. "Good idea, Woll - I'ww caw them mysewf when they'we - when I'm finished."
"OK," Roll agreed. "I'll come back once I've finished up with Rush."
As Roll left the repair bay, Light turned back to the computers, making himself look busy for a few minutes before sitting down and hoping desperately that this didn't wind up making things even stranger....
~~~===~~~
Proto sighed slightly from where he was laying next to his younger brother, not entirely sure just how much time had passed since they'd started. All he knew was that he wasn't worried about how he felt for the first time in years.
Even if it was just a one-time deal.
"Feeling any better about things," he asked softly, turning in the bed to face Mega.
"Definitely, a bit at least," Mega agreed quietly.
"Good," Proto smiled, taking the chance to put an arm around him. "And thanks."
"You're welcome," he replied with a slight laugh.
Suddenly, a quiet beep came from the intercom.
"Pwotoman, Megaman, come down to the wepaiw bay when you get the chance. It's awmost time to wake up youw fwiend."
"Damned timing," Proto muttered as the speaker shut off.
"Well, at least he's alright," Mega pointed out. "Or should be."
"Point," Proto admitted, reluctantly shifting to get out of bed and pull on his armor.
MegaMan did the same, but froze in the middle. "How did he know to send the message in here?"
That made the older robot stop and think for a moment. "Maybe he just asked the computer where we were," he suggested hopefully.
"With any luck."
"Well, about the only other option is that Roll or Rush saw us and told him," Proto pointed out with a half-laugh. "And I made sure the door was locked, so that's not too likely - it's still closed, after all."
"Uh," MegaMan's jaw dropped. "They had security camera that are linked to little screens outside the room installed..."
Proto blinked twice, then twice more, before he pulled his helmet on slowly and set his shades in place. "Wonderful."
"Yes, isn't it," MegaMan agreed dryly.
"Somehow, I'm not entirely sure I *want* to know why the doc decided he needed to install those," Proto muttered, as he opened the door and looked out. "You know," he said, looking at the glowing screen, "you'd think I would have noticed this on my way in."
"That. wasn't on when we went in."
"I think we'll just hope Rush hit it by mistake...Rush doesn't talk yet, does he?"'
"Hopefully not, but for all I know he's got some kind of translation device."
"I think that'd be better than Roll watching. Somehow, I don't think she'd take it too well.... Either way, we'd better get going."
"Yeah."
The two of them hurried down to the repair bay, Proto's mind inexplicably latching onto one of the few "bright sides" of the situation.
/"At least we don't have to come up with some way to grab showers on the way."/
When they reached it, MegaMan greeted Dr. Light brightly. "So, he should be okay, then?"
"He'w be fine," Dr. Light nodded. "It's intewesting - his intewnaw design is a wot wike Duo's."
"Oh?"
"Yes. It's pwobabwy the weason he's awive - his powew cowe was stiww intact, and most of his cwitical components wewe in wemawkabew condition."
"Wonder if they're from the same place," Proto wondered out loud. "Guess we'll just have to ask him when we bring him back online."
"That's strange," Mega murmured to himself. "I guess so, huh?"
"Weww, wet's bwing him up, and we can ask him ouwsewves," Dr. Light nodded, making the final adjustments and stepping back as the nearly-silent sound of the strange robot's systems coming back online started. Two eyes snapped open a moment later, darting about in confusion as they tried to reconcile what they'd seen last with the much safer and saner environment of the lab. The robot saw Mega, and smiled slightly.
"Mega Man Light, I presume?"
Mega looked taken aback for a moment before replying. "Well, that's what people call me."
"Excellent - I've been trying to find this planet for weeks. Would somebody please release the restraints, I assure you that I'm unarmed and will not injure myself moving."
Dr. Light thought about it for a moment and reached over to flip the switch and open the buckles.
"I don't want to be rude," Mega asked while the robot rubbed his wrists slightly, getting used to moving after the repairs, "but why?"
"Forgive me, I'm getting ahead of myself," the robot said as he sat up. "I am a courier-model robot, in your terminology. I was sent with a message for you from Duo, a hunter-seeker unit who crashed here several months ago."
"O-Oh?"
"Yes. He said that he was hoping to return to this planet after his next assignment. He hopes that I find that you're doing well, and that you remember him. There was also another message, but he wanted that to be delivered privately - I can give you the data cartridge if you want to view it on your own later."
Proto frowned slightly, but didn't say anything, his expression really not too different from the one he normally wore.
Mega glanced slowly around the room for a minute, then nodded, "OK."
The courier reached up and tapped a panel on his helmet, which receded and a small disk slid out.
"It should be readable by a standard drive-unit," he explained, handing it to Mega. "Just put it in, and have a monitor or projector ready, since it's an audio-visual recording. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mega Man."
"You, too," Mega tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks."
"And thank you, Protoman, for rescuing me when you did," the courier said, turning to the red-armored robot and nodding.
"No problem," Proto smirked. "Just stay away from lion-bots in the future."
"I'll keep it in mind. Well, my mission's complete, so I had best return home for reassignment. Good luck to all of you."
"Have a safe trip home," Mega waved slightly. "I'm going to go take a look at this.."
The courier nodded, and Dr. Light noticed a pair of thrusters powering up along his back. He quickly reached out and hit the switch to open the skylight that they'd installed after Duo's similar departure, breathing a sigh of relief as their visitor just barely cleared them without breaking anything.
"Well Mega," Proto said with a slight shrug, "you go take care of your message, and I'll go see about catching up on a few things with Roll. See you around, bro."
"She'll talk your ear off, if you're not careful," Mega warned laughingly. "Talk to you later, then." With that, he strode off, leaving Proto and Dr. Light to their own projects as life quietly returned to abnormal..
Pairings: Mega Man/Duo, Mega/Protoman, Rush/Treble
Codes: Slash, M/M Relationships/Sex, Incest
Summary: Protoman brings a new acquaintance home for repairs, and winds up helping Mega Man sort a few things out - only to get fairly badly screwed up inside himself. Sequel to "Puppy Love." (Puppy Love is NC-17. This isn't. Don't go looking at it if you're not supposed to. Puppy Love can be found on Fandomination.net, through the link on SPWP's account page.)
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - Capcom does. Aren't gonna own 'em - Capcom will probably see to that if they ever see what we're doing with 'em. Not making any money off them - quite the contrary, we're still dirt poor. Not claming credit - this proves it. Not being sued - or at least we hope not.
~~~===~~~
Mega Man sat quietly outside of Dr. Light's lab, seeming to be simply passing the time without a care in the world. And, as much as he wished that were true, it was quite the opposite- the longer he sat, thinking, the more confused he got. He couldn't quite place *why* he was bothered, but he could rather easily pick up *what* was causing it. Duo.
Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted by an alarm going off - somebody had just teleported into the lab who wasn't supposed to be there.
"What now," he wondered aloud, mildly annoyed, but still concerned enough over Dr. Light, Roll, and finding out who exactly had shown up uninvited to get quickly to his feet and run inside.
He spotted Protoman hurrying towards the repair bay, carrying what looked like another robot.
"Get Light," he shouted as the door closed, not really concerned about who had come in.
"Huh," Mega Man called back, but when it became apparent he either hadn't been heard or wasn't going to get a reply, he set off in search of his creator, thankfully running into him not far away from where Proto had run off. "Dr. Light!
"What's wong, Mega Man? I heawd the awawm."
"I don't really know," he replied. "But Proto Man showed up just a minute ago, and he's got someone with him. He was in a real hurry, though, and he went to the repair bay."
"Then we'd bettew huwwy," Light said, frowning as he started off in the proper direction at a fast walk.
"Yeah," Mega Man followed him at a slightly faster pace.
They found Proto setting another robot down on the main bed in the repair bay, along with a number of parts that had been torn off at some point.
"Interrupted a fight between some of Wily's left over lion-bots," the red- and-gray warrior explained. "Got them out of the way, found out what they were fighting over. Figured his best odds were bringing him back here."
"Yeah, probably," Mega agreed with a nod.
"I'w see what I can do," Light said, a grim expression on his face. "It doesn't wook good, but it's good you bwought him hewe."
"Thanks, Doc," Proto said, sighing slightly and stepping out of the way. "And sorry about the noisy arrival, didn't exactly have time to get clearance."
"Well," Mega began with a sigh. "Welcome home, even if it's not under good circumstances."
"Yeah-- Roll will probably be glad to see you back in one piece, anyway," Mega laughed. "She worries too much."
~~~===~~~
"So - how have things been going around here since I left," Proto asked as he and Mega walked towards the long-unused room he usually stayed in when he came around.
"Well enough," Mega replied with a shrug.
Proto chuckled, glancing back at the younger robot though the shades built into his helmet. "Aren't you supposed to be the enthusiastic one?"
"Judging from you, at least, I must be," Mega shot back with a laugh.
"Hey, I'm the brooding loner, you're the cheerful but naïve hero," Proto smirked. "You save the world, I pull your ass out of the binds you get into in the process. If you're going to start brooding, that means I've got to start being cheerful - and that just doesn't work with the shades."
"No, it doesn't. Not at all."
"So what are you brooding about," Proto asked idly, opening the door to his room and turning on the light, looking at it and taking note of how deep the dust was - not very, surprisingly.
MegaMan paused for a moment, then shrugged. "I dunno.. A lot of things have happened, I guess.."
"Well, I know Wily hasn't shown up since I left - that still makes the news. Some new lunatic out there I haven't heard about yet, or more normal 'things?'"
"Just things, one way or another," the younger robot repeated with a slight sigh.
"There's a bit of a difference between things that shoot at you, and things that don't," Proto pointed out, a slight frown crossing his face before he turned back around. "The ones that shoot at you usually go away after you shoot back."
"Somebody tell Wily that," Mega laughed, though it was slightly forced.
"Point made. Still, it'd be nice to know if it's anything I can help with. I may not be around here much, but it doesn't mean that I like knowing you're worried about something. Enjoying you being miserable is Bass' job."
"Thanks," Mega credited his brother. "But the thing is, *I* don't know exactly what's wrong.."
"What," Proto chuckled, clearly not really serious, "meet a girl?"'
"Um.. Not. exactly."
That got Proto's attention. "Guy," he asked, his voice fairly neutral - but not like he was trying to hide any disapproval of the possibility.
Mega's gaze lowered to the ground. "Um. yeah."
"Duo," the older robot guessed. "At least if I was reading you right after he left."
MegaMan nodded, but didn't speak.
"So what part of it has you mixed up," Proto asked.
"Well. Doesn't it seem. Odd to you?"
"Not for the past five years of so," Proto said, leaning against the doorframe with something between a smirk and a smile on his face.
"Wh-What?"
"You remember when I rescued Kalinka from Wily?"
"Yeah.."
"Well, we stayed in touch over the next couple of years. Somewhere along the lines, she decided she wanted to try doing more than friends. It didn't go very well, for a few reasons."
"Such as," Mega asked, not rudely.
"Well, we found out the hard way that I don't go for girls, first off. From there, I learned to despise the second law of robotics, before she realized I was only going along with it because I had to. She still blames herself for how that went down," he shrugged.
".Oh," Mega looked a bit embarrassed. "I see."
"At any rate," Proto continued, "I spent a good year trying to figure out what was 'wrong' with me, and eventually I figured it out. I just go for guys instead of girls. Maybe Light got a couple wires crossed," he shrugged. "Doesn't matter - I get by just fine as it is. Most of the people who know don't care, the ones who do care aren't really people I worry about too much."
"That's a good way to look at it," Mega remarked. "But.."
"But?"
"I don't know.. It just feels strange or something.."
"Could just be because it's the first time," Proto pointed out. "It's never really something you get used to, but the first time's the strangest."
"Guess so," Mega agreed, a bit uncertainly.
Proto was silent for a few moments, thinking. "There's only one part of it I can help you straighten out," he said eventually. "But I don't know if that'll help you any."
"What's that?"
"I can't really help you sort out most of the issues with Duo - but I can help you figure out if you're really interested in him that way. If you can appreciate the physical end of things."
MegaMan's face went blank for a moment, most likely trying to get a grasp around what he'd just heard. "Do you. mean what I think you mean?"
/"If it were anybody but you asking,"/ Proto thought to himself, /"I'd know myself."/
"Probably."
He was still surprised, but in spite of that, Mega raised an eyebrow at the not-quite-answer. "What do you mean," he asked, far more calmly.
Proto sighed slightly, suspecting that he'd just gone a little too far. "I mean that I'd be willing to sleep with you, to help you figure out if you can handle that part of things."
/"Just don't let him ask why.."/
"Well. why?"
Proto came up with several inventive uses for the various words he'd picked up in his travels while he tried to come up with some sort of answer other than the real reason.
"Duo might not be coming back," he eventually settled on. "And if that's the case, I'd rather you learned with somebody I can trust to be careful about it than with somebody you don't necessarily know, just because they managed to talk you into it."
"Oh," Mega trailed off.
"Damn it," Proto muttered to himself. "I didn't mean to put it like that, Mega. But the real reason - it's awkward at best."
"Real reason," MegaMan asked quietly.
"Because I want to," Proto admitted quietly. "Same reason I left last time."
MegaMan looked somewhat like a deer caught in a pair of headlights, and he opened his mouth as if to blurt something out, but then closed it, and took a deep breath followed by a shaky sigh. A moment later, he spoke. "This is going to sound stupid, but.. Why didn't you say something?"
"Refer to your expression ten seconds ago and what you were probably going to say before you thought about it," Proto sighed. "Besides - it was easier to pretend it wasn't happening."
"Hey," MegaMan protested. "I was surprised, but that doesn't mean," his attempt to find the right words failed miserably.
"That you were disturbed, freaked out, bothered, or any of the things I was when I figured it out?"
/"And still am, in a way."/
"Surprised," Mega repeated. "And I still am, but not bothered."
That seemed to surprise Proto more than anything else tonight had.
"The offer stands, if you want to take me up on it," he said eventually.
".Can't hurt," Mega decided after a few moments of deliberation. "It's the safe option, at least."
"Your place or mine," Proto asked with a weak chuckle.
"Does it matter?"
"Where ever you'd be most comfortable. Though we'll need something from mine either way."
"In that case, here's fine," Mega replied, letting out a shaky breath.
"Don't worry," the older robot said softly as he led Mega into his room. "I'll make sure we don't go too fast.."
~~~===~~~
Roll hummed cheerfully, as she passed through the halls on her way to see Dr. Light. Apparently, the robot that Proto had brought in was doing quite well, given what his condition had been. When she was beside one of the guests' rooms, she heard a rather unfamiliar, muffled sound. Curiously, she stepped towards the small control panel and looked at the screen above it. Apparently through a small screen by the door. When she found it wasn't on, she pressed it. When it flickered on, she literally swallowed a screech, the two expressions of surprise canceling each other out.
"O-Oh my gosh," she gasped when she finally came out of her shock-induced dreamlike state. Decided, she turned back towards the repair bay, but set off at a far faster pace than before and with different intentions.
When she got there, Light was bent over the injured robot, finishing up the last of the welds.
"Ah, Woll," he said as he turned around, flipping up his visor. "Gwad you could get down hewe so quickwy."
"U-Um, Doctor?" Roll began in a rush.
"Yes, Woll? What's wong?"
"I know you asked me to find Protoman, but. I kind of found MegaMan too, and."
"That's good. Did you ask them to come down hewe? I'm awmost weady to bwing Pwoto's fwiend back onwine."
"I don't think it would be very. polite to intrude right now."
"I'm suwe they'ww be wiwwing to incwude you so you could teww them that."
"That's what I'm afraid of, actually..."
"What?"
"Let's put it this way.. Any reason why you made us like humans physically?"
"Oh - uh - uhm...." Dr. Light spent several moments trying to find an explanation, a slight blush showing through his thick white beard. "Why don't you teww them waiter, Woll. I just wemembewed that I need to wun some finaw diagnostics on him."
"Wight," the elderly doctor nodded briskly. "Good idea, Woll - I'ww caw them mysewf when they'we - when I'm finished."
"OK," Roll agreed. "I'll come back once I've finished up with Rush."
As Roll left the repair bay, Light turned back to the computers, making himself look busy for a few minutes before sitting down and hoping desperately that this didn't wind up making things even stranger....
~~~===~~~
Proto sighed slightly from where he was laying next to his younger brother, not entirely sure just how much time had passed since they'd started. All he knew was that he wasn't worried about how he felt for the first time in years.
Even if it was just a one-time deal.
"Feeling any better about things," he asked softly, turning in the bed to face Mega.
"Definitely, a bit at least," Mega agreed quietly.
"Good," Proto smiled, taking the chance to put an arm around him. "And thanks."
"You're welcome," he replied with a slight laugh.
Suddenly, a quiet beep came from the intercom.
"Pwotoman, Megaman, come down to the wepaiw bay when you get the chance. It's awmost time to wake up youw fwiend."
"Damned timing," Proto muttered as the speaker shut off.
"Well, at least he's alright," Mega pointed out. "Or should be."
"Point," Proto admitted, reluctantly shifting to get out of bed and pull on his armor.
MegaMan did the same, but froze in the middle. "How did he know to send the message in here?"
That made the older robot stop and think for a moment. "Maybe he just asked the computer where we were," he suggested hopefully.
"With any luck."
"Well, about the only other option is that Roll or Rush saw us and told him," Proto pointed out with a half-laugh. "And I made sure the door was locked, so that's not too likely - it's still closed, after all."
"Uh," MegaMan's jaw dropped. "They had security camera that are linked to little screens outside the room installed..."
Proto blinked twice, then twice more, before he pulled his helmet on slowly and set his shades in place. "Wonderful."
"Yes, isn't it," MegaMan agreed dryly.
"Somehow, I'm not entirely sure I *want* to know why the doc decided he needed to install those," Proto muttered, as he opened the door and looked out. "You know," he said, looking at the glowing screen, "you'd think I would have noticed this on my way in."
"That. wasn't on when we went in."
"I think we'll just hope Rush hit it by mistake...Rush doesn't talk yet, does he?"'
"Hopefully not, but for all I know he's got some kind of translation device."
"I think that'd be better than Roll watching. Somehow, I don't think she'd take it too well.... Either way, we'd better get going."
"Yeah."
The two of them hurried down to the repair bay, Proto's mind inexplicably latching onto one of the few "bright sides" of the situation.
/"At least we don't have to come up with some way to grab showers on the way."/
When they reached it, MegaMan greeted Dr. Light brightly. "So, he should be okay, then?"
"He'w be fine," Dr. Light nodded. "It's intewesting - his intewnaw design is a wot wike Duo's."
"Oh?"
"Yes. It's pwobabwy the weason he's awive - his powew cowe was stiww intact, and most of his cwitical components wewe in wemawkabew condition."
"Wonder if they're from the same place," Proto wondered out loud. "Guess we'll just have to ask him when we bring him back online."
"That's strange," Mega murmured to himself. "I guess so, huh?"
"Weww, wet's bwing him up, and we can ask him ouwsewves," Dr. Light nodded, making the final adjustments and stepping back as the nearly-silent sound of the strange robot's systems coming back online started. Two eyes snapped open a moment later, darting about in confusion as they tried to reconcile what they'd seen last with the much safer and saner environment of the lab. The robot saw Mega, and smiled slightly.
"Mega Man Light, I presume?"
Mega looked taken aback for a moment before replying. "Well, that's what people call me."
"Excellent - I've been trying to find this planet for weeks. Would somebody please release the restraints, I assure you that I'm unarmed and will not injure myself moving."
Dr. Light thought about it for a moment and reached over to flip the switch and open the buckles.
"I don't want to be rude," Mega asked while the robot rubbed his wrists slightly, getting used to moving after the repairs, "but why?"
"Forgive me, I'm getting ahead of myself," the robot said as he sat up. "I am a courier-model robot, in your terminology. I was sent with a message for you from Duo, a hunter-seeker unit who crashed here several months ago."
"O-Oh?"
"Yes. He said that he was hoping to return to this planet after his next assignment. He hopes that I find that you're doing well, and that you remember him. There was also another message, but he wanted that to be delivered privately - I can give you the data cartridge if you want to view it on your own later."
Proto frowned slightly, but didn't say anything, his expression really not too different from the one he normally wore.
Mega glanced slowly around the room for a minute, then nodded, "OK."
The courier reached up and tapped a panel on his helmet, which receded and a small disk slid out.
"It should be readable by a standard drive-unit," he explained, handing it to Mega. "Just put it in, and have a monitor or projector ready, since it's an audio-visual recording. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mega Man."
"You, too," Mega tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks."
"And thank you, Protoman, for rescuing me when you did," the courier said, turning to the red-armored robot and nodding.
"No problem," Proto smirked. "Just stay away from lion-bots in the future."
"I'll keep it in mind. Well, my mission's complete, so I had best return home for reassignment. Good luck to all of you."
"Have a safe trip home," Mega waved slightly. "I'm going to go take a look at this.."
The courier nodded, and Dr. Light noticed a pair of thrusters powering up along his back. He quickly reached out and hit the switch to open the skylight that they'd installed after Duo's similar departure, breathing a sigh of relief as their visitor just barely cleared them without breaking anything.
"Well Mega," Proto said with a slight shrug, "you go take care of your message, and I'll go see about catching up on a few things with Roll. See you around, bro."
"She'll talk your ear off, if you're not careful," Mega warned laughingly. "Talk to you later, then." With that, he strode off, leaving Proto and Dr. Light to their own projects as life quietly returned to abnormal..