Blues sighed. He had been doing maintenance on his knee joint, as it had stopped functioning altogether, when Tango jumped into his lap and informed him that Forte had confronted Rock. Again. While he knew Rock could hold his own, Forte could be unpredictable. He'd rather be there if anything happened, but to do that he needed his joint in working order.
It was really a matter of figuring out the best way to go about fixing it without lab equipment, but he still found himself huffing in frustration. Couldn't that hothead have waited? Of course, he knew the answer to that. Forte was Forte, and one thing he was severely lacking in was patience (or any form of self-control). Blues just hoped he wasn't there on Wily's orders, and that he wouldn't have to step in before his repairs were complete.
He worked for the next few hours, and after ascertaining that he was functioning (somewhat) properly, teleported to the coordinates Tango had provided him with. Which just happened to be the Light residence. Standing outside the door with her arms crossed was Roll, who was watching Rock try to dodge Forte's kicks, punches, and buster shots. When she noticed Blues standing a few feet away, she glared at him and gave a look that seemed to say 'fix this.' Blues looked to the fight, then back at her, and shrugged. He then proceeded to sit on the ground and whistle while waiting for one of the fighters to give up.
One of said fighters, the one that had started it in the first place, wasn't even close to giving up. In fact, he was having fun. He'd been utterly bored out of his mind a few hours ago, and he decided that beating up the blueberry was way better than anything else he could've done. Sure, he could have gone and picked a fight with the older prototype, who would actually fight back, but seeing Rock freak out was more fun. Add on the fact that Roll was just glaring at him instead of actually attempting to beat him with her broom, and Forte was definitely having a good day.
He'd probably get beat again, but he'd done this out of boredom, not actually being serious. (Not that he won those fights either) Rock shot a fully charged shot at Forte, which he dodged easily. He was not prepared, however, for the rain of smaller shots he was then bombarded with. While they weren't very powerful, a whole bunch at once did sting. He cursed loudly, to which Roll shouted something about manners and etiquette. Forte shot rapid fire at Rock in retaliation, and while most of them didn't hit, he did have a charged shot ready for the Blue Bomber to catch him off guard.
Rock, however, saw it coming. He let the last few shots hit him and dodged to the left of the huge blast. Then, when Forte was preparing to fire again, he ran up and punched him in the face. To which Forte grunted and grabbed Rock's throat, holding him up in the air. Being significantly smaller, Rock's feet dangled as he struggled to get out of his rival's grasp. It wasn't like he needed air, and even if Forte decided to hold him like this all day, he'd be fine. However, he was now in a dangerous position. Forte was unpredictable, and if Rock didn't think of something fast, he could find himself blown to bits.
An idea struck him, and he raised his buster in the taller 'bot's face. As he began charging it up, Forte realized what he was doing and threw him across the yard. He landed about twenty feet away, in some bushes. Making sure nothing vital was damaged upon impact, Rock pushed himself up and started charging up his buster again. Okay, no more melee attacks. Really, for a robot, Rock wasn't exceptionally strong. Forte, however, was. While not on Guts Man's level, it still meant that Rock should stick to ranged combat. When his buster was fully charged, he fired. He was not expecting the shot to miss and hit a red and white shield.
As Rock's shot came towards him, Blues quickly pulled his shield off his back and blocked. When the smoke cleared, he got up and dusted himself off.
"Hello Rock, Forte," he said coolly, while nodding to both Rock and Forte. "And to Roll as well, though you saw me come in." Both of the aforementioned individuals turned to look at Roll, who huffed indignantly.
"Well, you two were busy. I figured you'd notice him sooner or later anyway," was her reply to their bewildered stares.
Rock then seemed to remember his manners. "I'm sorry for shooting at you, Proto Man," he said with a sheepish grin.
"You say that like it's the first time he's been shot at upon entry," Forte scoffed.
Blues smirked. "He does have a point, but it's fine." Though he did raise an eyebrow at the formality Rock used, calling him Proto Man.
Realizing that Blues was here, at Dr. Light's house, Rock's eyes lit up. "Are you here to visit?" he practically squealed.
Blues tensed. Right, Rock didn't—couldn't—know. He shook his head. "I was told you two were fighting, and I thought I might as well watch." Not out of any brotherly affection; though that was a lie. In truth, he really did want to check up on his siblings, see how they were doing. But he knew that if either of them found out that he was their older brother, especially Rock, they'd try and make him stay. Even though he knew he couldn't do that.
Rock's face fell. Oh. Of course not. As much as he admired Blues, he didn't really understand him. He wanted to, but Blues wasn't the kind of person to open up to others. Even Rock. As a result of not knowing Blues' intentions, the older 'bot ended up coming off as kind of a jerk sometimes.
Forte watched the exchange between the two. He didn't get why Rock would be so disappointed; Blues had come to watch them fight, right? So if they fought more, then he'd come around more. Simple as that. Of course, being Forte, he didn't really get why that wouldn't work for Rock. He didn't like fighting, and if that was the only thing that would bring Blues around other than him being in danger, then he'd rather just not see him. (Unlike a certain Twilight protagonist…)
Roll interrupted everyone's thoughts by asking, "Since it looks like you're done fighting, do you want to come in? If you promise not to break anything, that is." She had just dusted and rearranged the furniture, and she didn't want them ruining anything. Well, mainly Forte. Blues was fairly calm, and Rock lived there and knew her rules, so she didn't have to worry about them.
A moment passed. "Is Dr. Light home?" Blues asked. As much as he wanted to see his siblings, he didn't want to run into his creator. The one who betrayed him.
Looking at Blues curiously, Roll replied, "No, not right now. He'll be home in a few hours, he's at a meeting." She wondered why he would care if her father was home or not.
Rock looked at Blues as well. What did Dr. Light have to do with anything…? Did Blues have some sort of grudge against him? He didn't like that thought. Is that why he never comes to visit?
"Then sure, I guess. Thank you for your hospitality," Blues added, remembering that he was a guest, not a resident. Not family, not after what happened.
Forte took a moment to answer. He could either stay here with his arch-rival and his sister, or he could go back to Wily's castle and die of boredom. The former sounded more entertaining. "Alright, since I've got nothing better to do," he finally said, shrugging. Maybe he could even hide a few things to piss off Roll. "But that doesn't mean we're friends or anything. I'm still gonna destroy you," he reminded, looking at Rock, who laughed a bit. Classic Forte.
"Come on in, then," Roll said, gesturing inside as she walked through the front door. "Whoever's the last one in gets to close the door," she added. She grinned when Rock and Forte both raced towards the door, Blues shaking his head as he closed it. As she was heading to the kitchen to get some E-Tanks, she noticed the metallic clanks of the trio's armored boots. "You guys can take your armor off, you know." She hoped they wouldn't scratch the floor.
Rock and Blues both teleported their armor off, while Forte just stood there. Roll realized that, being a Wily-bot, he probably couldn't take off his armor. Either that, or he didn't have anything to wear once he did. When he noticed her staring, he made a face, and Roll quickly looked away. Deciding to stop that train of thought, Roll told the three to have a seat while she gets some drinks. Rock offered to help, and she accepted, leaving Blues and Forte alone.
They sat there awkwardly, neither really knowing what to say, until Forte finally spoke up.
"What's your deal?"
Blues blinked under his shades. "What are you talking about?"
"With not visiting the blueberry. It's pretty freakin' obvious he misses you, if the way he reacted to seeing you is any indication. So how come you never come around?" He was only asking out of curiosity, as he hadn't seen Rock be that disappointed at something before.
Blues didn't answer. He knew Rock wanted to see him, and he knew it'd only get worse if he knew they were related. It would be better for everyone if he never found out, never had to know that his only older brother was in disrepair, refusing to come home. That he didn't really want to live, but couldn't do anything about it. That he was in near constant pain because his core. He didn't need to know how truly sad Blues' life was.
"What, did I cross a line?" Forte said with a mocking grin. "He thinks you're a Wily-bot, you know."
Glaring at the black-clad Robot Master, Blues finally spoke. "If you tell him otherwise, I will not hesitate to blow your head off your shoulders."
Forte raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else.
Just then, Rock and Roll came in with the drinks. Rock tossed an E-Tank to Blues and Forte, and then to Roll, before popping open one of his own.
"So, how have you guys been?" Roll asked hesitantly, not really sure how to start the conversation.
"Bored as hell!" Was Forte's reply. Roll shot him a disapproving look.
Blues said nothing, instead deciding to let the other three chat amongst themselves. He didn't really have anything interesting to add anyway.
"Don't you have anything else to do other than fighting me?" Rock asked the rude 'bot.
"Fuck no! Destroying you is my purpose, idiot! What else would I do, play Call of Duty?!" Forte shot back. In reality, he did play Final Fantasy in his spare time.
"Forte!" Roll reprimanded. "There will be no swearing in this house. Unless you want to leave, that is." That was his second offense, not including the one in the yard. If he did it again, she'd be sure to kick him out of the house.
"Alright, jeez," he finally said. They were just words, and he was certain that everyone present knew them, so what was the big deal? Still, though. He didn't really feel like going back to the castle.
"Um, so, Proto Man. What have you been up to?" Rock said, trying to change the subject. He actually was curious what his life outside of the Wars was like.
Blues thought for a moment, and then answered, "Not much. I saw the new Star Wars, though." By sneaking in the back of the theatre on opening night.
"Was it good?" Forte asked, taking a sip of his E-Tank.
"It was alright. Good visuals, but it still had the same basic plotline of the original movie." He personally thought Kylo Ren was a bit of a whiny teenager.
"How'd you get in? I thought robots weren't allowed in the theatre," Roll mentioned, tilting her head. Rock looked over to Blues as well. Had he lied?
Blues shrugged. Forte rolled his eyes. "He probably snuck in," he said with a smirk.
Rock was about to say something, but thought better of it. It wasn't his business whether or not Blues complied with robot laws—he didn't agree with them himself.
It wasn't long before the sound of a car pulling into the driveway echoed through the house, and Blues got up to leave. Forte raised an eyebrow above his helm, but said nothing for once. He didn't particularly care about the prototype's beef with Light, even if it made for some good teasing. If the guy wanted to stay away from the good doctor, he couldn't say he blamed him.
Rock, though, had a different idea. He latched onto Blues' arm, making the taller robot turn his head to look at him.
"You're really leaving?" The boy asked with a pout, looking like a kid that had just dropped his ice cream. Blues hesitated, before gently pushing Rock's hand away and straightening up.
"I'm not meant to be here. I need to leave." Perhaps a rather ominous answer, but it would do for now. The door jingling was his cue to teleport out of the Light house, leaving Rock to frown at the air. Forte snorted as Doctor Light entered, looking rather confused.
"Forte's visiting?" He half-stated half-asked. It was fairly obvious that was the case, but he was still wary of the Wily-bot. Forte answered with a casual 'yo.'
Rock was still staring at where Blues had been, a sad look on his face. When he turned toward his father, though, that quickly melted away into joy at seeing the man. He smiled, and made no mention of the prototype.
Hopefully Blues would visit again, sometime. Maybe then he could convince him to stay.