You've Got a Friend in Me
Author's Note: Enjoy the story and R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Rockman EXE series.
Pairings: One-sided Tamotsu x Kojirou. Referenced one-sided (canon) Kojirou x Phakchi.
Summary:
True friendship is knowing when to say no to yourself.
"Kojirou-chan, permission to come aboard?"
Kojirou didn't answer. He didn't remove his elbows from the gunwale, ever peeved by Netto receiving Phakchi-neechan's words of approval, when his own stabs at impressing her consistently sank like lead to the bottom of the ocean.
Tamotsu climbed on deck and met Kojirou at the bow of the ship, pushing a barbecued potato in his face. "Kojirou-chan, you missed dinner! I brought you some!"
The potato was peeled to look like Rockman's head. It was one of Netto's.
"I'm not hungry, Tamotsu," Kojirou carped, unvented frustration seething beneath his lie in the nippy night.
"It's Phakchi-neechan, isn't it?"
Pink marks crisscrossed Kojirou's cheeks.
"You've been angry since Netto-kun arrived. Netto-kun isn't competing with you to impress Phakchi-neechan, Kojirou-chan."
That ignored the obvious: Netto didn't have to be to piss Kojirou off.
"Whose side are you on, mine or his?"
It was a dumb question. Netto prevented their deaths. The best Kojirou ever did for Tamotsu was –
"Yours."
"Even after he defended us against those Beast Viruses?"
"You're the one I'm worried about, Kojirou-chan." Tamotsu tried once again to make Kojirou eat the potato.
Curling his fingers twice before taking it, Kojirou closed his eyes and bit hurriedly into the hard yellow spud to be over and done with it.
Tamotsu's freckles glinted under the clouded starlight.
"It's good," Kojirou admitted nastily. "But Netto only peeled it! Phakchi-neechan cooked it!"
"Yeah, I understand, Kojirou-chan."
"You don't know what it's like…" Kojirou muttered offhand.
Tamotsu stared silently out toward the sea.
He knew.
He knew and it hurt, but it didn't stop him from standing by his friend.