So, before anyone comes after me, yes, I know that, in the English Dub of the anime, War-Rock (Omega-Xis) tells Subaru (Geo) that he isn't tangible in the human world. However, in the Sub, he never says this. The other thing to note is that, at the end of the last episode of Ryusei no Rockman Tribe, War-Rock physically touches Subaru's Visualizer to put them over his eyes, allowing him to see the other FM-ians. So, because of this, this story allows physical contact between War-Rock and Subaru.
I'll be honest, the inspiration came from an episode of Ryusei no Rockman Tribe where Subaru and War-Rock go looking for an OOPArt in the Himanala mountains, and Subaru was sneezing and sniffling from the cold. That, in turn, made me think "if Subaru was sick, how would War-Rock respond?" and, well, this fanfic was born. I looked around to see if there was anything even remotely similar (ya know, so there's no worry about accidentally copying someone else's story and all that), and I found nothing. Although, I'm surprised at the amount of MegaMan sickfics that exist now compared to when I originally made Sickness of Love (though it isn't many, tbh). Maybe I set off a chain reaction? Who knows, who cares, amirite?
Anyways, enjoy!
When War-Rock woke up on Friday, he didn't expect for Subaru to still be in bed. Usually, the boy was up before he was, so for him to be slumbering was odd. Sure, Subaru had been up at the ungodly hours of the night, but even then, he got up for school, so why wasn't he today?
"Subaru," War-Rock shook his shoulder. "Get up. You've got school."
The boy grunted, but his eyes opened as he rolled over.
"War-Rock, what time is it?" Subaru asked, his voice hoarse.
"It's seven-thirty," the AM-ian replied.
"Eh?!"
Subaru quickly scrambled to get out of bed, and War-Rock could see just how tired Subaru looked with blue smudges under his eyelids.
"Jesus, kid, what did you do to yourself?"
"I just stayed up too late," Subaru murmured, "no big deal."
"'No big deal'?! Subaru, you're exhausted!" War-Rock shouted. "Why are you getting up?"
"You worry too much!"
"Hmph. Sometimes not enough."
The boy rolled his eyes as he passed War-Rock on his way to his closet.
"Maybe you should stay at home," the alien suggested.
"War-Rock, I'm fine," Subaru told him as he pulled on his navy-blue shorts, yellow and cyan belt, and red boots.
"Subaru, you won't last a full day!"
"Watch me."
With a huff, Subaru put on an undershirt before tugging his red jacket over his arms. Zipping it up, he pulled his red fingerless gloves over his knuckles and grabbed his Visualizer and Star Carrier. War-Rock, however, stayed right where he was, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Let's go, War-Rock," Subaru called from the front door. "If we hurry, we'll make it, but I'll need your help."
"Hmph."
Performing a Denpa Henkan, Rockman ran off towards the school building.
As much as Subaru hated to admit it, War-Rock was becoming increasingly right. It was only halfway through the school day, and Subaru already felt worse than he did when he woke up. He was only lucky that he made it on time and that War-Rock hadn't picked up on how terrible he was feeling.
Subaru knew he would come down with something; a couple of nights before, when he was Rockman, he was tossed into the icy river and was soaked to the bone. He'd noticed the scratchy throat and body aches earlier, but as the day had progressed, Subaru could feel the beginnings of fever and vertigo present themselves.
"Hey, Subaru," War-Rock spoke from the Star Carrier.
"Hmm?" Subaru hummed, his voice thick.
"You're falling asleep on me here."
"Mmm."
As much as War-Rock would love to tease the boy about his childish behaviour, he was too worried about him now to even think about it. For one thing, Subaru never slept in class, no matter how boring the subject was. So, the fact that he was dropping off into dreamland in the middle of English class was a bit concerning.
Currently, the class was learning about homophones. It was something Subaru had already mastered about two weeks prior, so it wasn't that big of a deal. But even so, he usually stayed awake and participated in any class discussions.
"You feeling okay, kid? You're never like this."
"'M fine," came the slurred reply.
The more War-Rock thought about it, the more he understood that the sleep would do the boy a world of good.
"Go to sleep," he murmured. "I'll wake you should the need arise."
"M'kay."
War-Rock couldn't help but smile. No matter how mature Subaru acted, he was still just a kid. The AM-ian was just happy that he could be the one to help bring that child-like innocence out.
"Subaru. Subaru. Hey, Subaru!"
Subaru's bleary, chocolate brown orbs blinked open slowly. They widened, however, upon seeing his friends staring at him in concern.
"Kizamaro, Gonta, Luna," he greeted. "Hi!"
"Welcome back to the world of the living," Luna teased.
"It's time to go home," Kizamaro informed him.
"What?!" Subaru yelled before coughing into the crook of his elbow. "War-Rock, you were supposed to wake me up!"
"There was no need to," War-Rock shrugged from inside the Star Carrier.
Subaru glared at the AM-ian, but he didn't comment since he did feel a bit more refreshed than earlier. Not that he'd admit it aloud, of course.
"So, Subaru, ready to go?" Gonta asked.
"Mmmhmm."
As the boy stood up from his desk, he felt his stomach roil, and his body protested at his movements, but he ignored it. Usually, Subaru would go to Amaken Labs, but all he wanted to do was go home and sleep whatever ailment he had off.
Of course, the universe was not on his side as a loud BOOM nearly knocked him off his feet.
"Kid!" War-Rock shouted.
"Denpa Henkan! Hoshikawa Subaru On-Air!" Subaru yelled, albeit hoarse.
Changing into Rockman, he leapt over to the battle at hand. His foggy mind did little to commit anything to his memory, but he knew that War-Rock did most of the work. To Subaru, it seemed like one moment, he was in one place, and the next he was somewhere different. Once it was over (who was the villain again? Subaru would have to ask War-Rock), he rushed home before returning to normal.
As the Denpa Henkan fell away, Subaru felt all the suppressed symptoms of whatever illness he had catch up with him: the body aches, vertigo, nausea, fever, chills, and fatigue. Collapsing on his side in the middle of his bedroom, the boy panted for breath.
"Subaru!" War-Rock spoke, his voice panicked.
"I'm fine," Subaru gasped as he attempted to stand up.
As soon as he was on his feet, his legs gave out from under him. He fell onto his hands and knees, and the Visualizers dropped onto his nose. The boy lowered himself further into a child's pose and pressed his forehead into the floor.
"What's wrong?" the AM-ian asked.
Subaru didn't answer verbally. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his belly with a whine.
"You're scaring me, Subaru. Talk to me."
Again, he did not reply. Instead, he crawled over to the trash can under his desk. The poor boy barely managed to lean over the lip of the bin before he was heaving. War-Rock blinked before awkwardly hovering near the kid.
"S-Subaru," the alien murmured. "What can I do?"
"W-War-R-Rock," Subaru whimpered. He quickly lowered his head with another retch. "M-make it stop!"
"Make what stop?"
"It hurts!"
Eventually, the heaves subsided enough that Subaru could look up for more than a few seconds, and what War-Rock saw broke his heart. Subaru's cheeks were flushed with fever, tear tracks glistening over the pinkish-red hue. His vibrant, chocolate brown eyes were now dull and glassy, dark blue, almost purple smudges under his eyelids.
"Oh, kid," War-Rock crooned. "Why didn't you tell me you felt this bad?"
"I wasn't!" Subaru whined. "It was after releasing the Denpa Henkan that it got worse."
"Let's get you cleaned up and in bed, hmm?"
It was slow going, but War-Rock was able to get Subaru into the bathroom. First, the AM-ian wet a flannel and wiped the vomit chunks from the boy's chin and lips. While Subaru brushed his teeth to rid his mouth of the acrid taste and changed into pyjamas, War-Rock grabbed a glass of water and replicated some crackers from the kitchen.
"War-Rock?" Subaru croaked from the stairs.
"Subaru! You should be in bed!" War-Rock chided lightly.
"But you're not there."
Right as Subaru started to head down the stairs, a dizzy spell made him sway dangerously. Helping his charge onto the couch, War-Rock gave the boy the crackers and water.
"I read that eating and drinking a little something can help," he explained.
"Thank you," the boy said, his voice rough.
Nodding, War-Rock hovered next to Subaru as he sipped from the glass and nibbled on the crackers, the TV playing in the background.
"So, where's Akane?" the alien asked.
"You mean Mom?" Subaru countered. "Um, she's on some sort of business trip. She didn't really say where to, though."
"Ah. I wondered why Akane wasn't here."
"Mmmhmm."
"Did she say when she would be coming back?"
"I think she said tomorrow evening or so."
Fifteen minutes later, the cup was empty, and the crackers were gone. Beside the AM-ian, Subaru was slowly drifting off.
"Alright, kid, let's get you upstairs and into bed," War-Rock murmured.
"Mmm," Subaru hummed.
With a huff, the AM-ian corralled the boy back up into his bedroom and under the covers. Before he could go into the Star Carrier, Subaru's hand caught his wrist.
"Subaru?"
"Stay with me?" he asked in invitation.
He couldn't say no to the look the boy was giving him. If this was what it took for his charge to feel better sooner, he'd do anything.
"Sure, kid. Scoot over."
War-Rock was soon laying on his back with Subaru snuggled close, his fever flushed cheek pressed into his chest plate. War-Rock ran his hands through Subaru's hair and was surprised at how easily it relaxed the boy into a puddle of (almost) purring goo. Chuckling, he watched as Subaru fell into an exhausted sleep, soft puffs of air escaping past his slightly parted lips.
"Goodnight, Subaru," he whispered before following his charge into dreamland. "Feel better."
A low keening sound woke War-Rock from his slumber in the middle of the night. Looking around, he noticed that Subaru was sitting up against his pillow. His knees were drawn up to his chest with his arms wrapped around his abdomen.
"Subaru?" he questioned while lowering the Visualizer over Subaru's eyes.
"'M sorry," Subaru whimpered. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"Don't apologise. It's not your fault you're ill."
Just then, his middle made a sickly gurgle, and Subaru produced a high-pitched pained noise.
"War-Rock," Subaru hiccupped a sob. "It hurts!"
War-Rock felt his heart break in two. He didn't comment and allowed the boy to snuggle close for comfort. Once more, there were tear tracks over the fever flushed cheeks, and the AM-ian wanted nothing more than to take the hurt away.
"I know, but I don't know how to make it stop," War-Rock told him, his voice cracking at the end.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," the kid moaned.
Thinking quickly, War-Rock grabbed the trash bin from earlier and put it next to them.
"Let it out," the AM-ian spoke gently. "You'll feel better once you do."
Subaru gave him an accusatory look that clearly asked how the alien would even know that.
"I decided to look up your symptoms, and it appears that you've got the flu. I did some reading and educated myself a bit so I could take care of you."
"Y-you didn't-t have t-to," Subaru managed to say while doing everything he could to keep his stomach contents in.
"Yes, I did. You're my friend, and I hate seeing you like this," War-Rock told him. "I just want you to feel better."
The boy gave a half-smile half-grimace as his tummy bubbled. His eyes suddenly widened, and he slapped a hand over his mouth. Sighing quietly to himself, War-Rock nudged the lip of the trash bin under Subaru's chin.
Just in time, too.
Choking up the bits of cracker and water wasn't a pleasant experience for either of them. Although the boy didn't throw up a lot, War-Rock hated that Subaru was in pain. Eventually, the gags and retches turned into dry-heaves and coughing, War-Rock murmuring sweet nothings.
Silently, Subaru gestured for the tissues on his desk when he was done. War-Rock brought the box closer, and the boy used them to clean his face as well as blow his nose. Tossing them into the trash bin with the rest of his mess, he exhaled at the effort.
"This sucks," Subaru spoke after he caught his breath. "I don't like being sick."
"I know; I don't like that you're sick, either," War-Rock admitted softly. "I just wish I could do more to help."
Subaru didn't comment and blinked slowly.
"Here, gimme a moment," the alien said. "I'll be right back."
"M'kay," the boy replied, his voice thick with sleep.
War-Rock floated off to search for a thermometer and another glass of water. After retrieving his things, he returned to his charge to find him half-asleep. It took some convincing, but the AM-ian was able to get a temperature of thirty-eight point five degrees (one-hundred one point three in Fahrenheit) from Subaru. He even managed to get the kid to drink half of the glass before he pushed it away.
"No more," he begged.
"Okay, okay, no more," War-Rock agreed. "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
"Stay?"
"Of course."
Once more, Subaru was curled up next to War-Rock, his nose buried into the alien's armour. War-Rock ran his fingers through the boy's hair as it seemed to work to calm him last time, and he was amused that it did. He felt his jaw lift into a smile when the kid finally clonked out.
One thing the AM-ian had noticed early on was how clingy Subaru got when he was sick.
See, something that pissed War-Rock to no end was that Subaru utterly refused to acknowledge whenever he was hurt. But, once an injury came into light and there was nothing he could do to hide it anymore, the boy felt helpless and defenceless. Thus, he would feel the need to be close to something that made him feel protected.
And for Subaru to choose War-Rock as his safe place just made the alien's heart soar. Sure, he had a few other places and people that made him feel this way (Amaken Labs, Amachi-san, Akane), but for the closed-off boy to let War-Rock in was a pleasant welcome.
The following morning, War-Rock could tell that Subaru was much better than he was in the early morning hours. His fever-flushed cheeks were non-existent, and his forehead felt cool to the touch. Almost as if the boy had a sixth sense, his eyes opened.
"Good morning, Subaru," War-Rock greeted.
"'Morning," Subaru replied, his voice not nearly as gravelly as it was the day before.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel better, thank you."
"And your stomach?"
"Still a little sensitive, but that's normal."
The AM-ian nodded. He watched as Subaru stretched his arms up over his head, a gentle grunt escaping past his lips.
"Are you hungry?" War-Rock asked. He tried not to laugh at the way the boy blanched at the thought of food. "Okay, maybe not now. However, you should have something to drink at the very least."
"Alright," Subaru relented. "Apple juice?"
"I'll go get it. You just stay here."
"Oh, come on, War-Rock. Can't we spend the day in the living room? Please?"
War-Rock felt his will crumble.
"I suppose so," he allowed, "but only if you promise not to overdo it."
"Oh, please," the boy scoffed. "What trouble could I possibly get into by watching TV?"
"Don't tempt fate, kid. It has a funny way of proving you wrong."
"So, Murphy's Law?"
"Who's?"
"Nevermind."
And so, the entire day was spent lounging around on the couch. Subaru would drift off here and there, but War-Rock didn't mind. If anything, he knew it meant that the boy was getting better. Subaru made sure to walk about when he couldn't sit still anymore, though those usually ended with him feeling winded and lightheaded. Around lunchtime, the boy managed to stomach some chicken broth and saltines, which War-Rock was perfectly okay with. Towards the end of the evening, Akane came home and mothered Subaru until he couldn't stand it ("Mom, I'm fine!" "If you're so fine, then why can you barely get up?").
That night, the kid was snuggled up against his AM-ian friend, his cheek on the chest plate.
"War-Rock?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are you letting me so close?" Subaru asked. "You hate it when things get touchy-feely."
"While that is true," War-Rock spoke, "I don't mind when it's you."
"But why?"
"You're my friend; my human friend. When you were sick, you felt the need to be near something that felt safe. I just so happen to be that thing. Don't look so embarrassed, you do the same thing when you're hurt. Yes, you get clingy, but that's okay, because that's the way you are, and I don't want you to ever change that. If I can be someone you feel safe with, then I'll let you get as close as you want to. If I happen to be the thing that makes you feel protected, then so be it."
The boy was at a loss of words, but he didn't move from his placement. Instead, he nuzzled his nose further into the armour, making the alien freeze a small bit.
"S-Subaru?"
"Is this okay?" he questioned. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"Yeah, it's okay," War-Rock answered, and he found that yes, it honestly was.
Subaru seemed to register the sincerity behind his words as a small simper graced his lips.
"Thank you, War-Rock," the boy said before falling asleep.
It took the AM-ian a moment, but he realised what, exactly, Subaru meant.
Thank you for helping me. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for being here for me. Thank you for everything.
And with an affectionate smile, he glanced down at the child that had oh-so-willingly given him everything he could ever need.
"No, thank you, Hoshikawa Subaru."
The arms around War-Rock's body tightened just a fraction. Once more, the AM-ian's hands rested on the boy's head, his fingers running through the soft brown locks. And as Subaru nuzzled impossibly closer, War-Rock fell into an uninterrupted sleep, his dreams full of the duo's adventures together.
(Completed - January 30th, 2021)
This story turned out much differently than I had in mind when I began writing this. Originally, Subaru was going to hide being sick until he absolutely couldn't (which happens here as well), but the way he reveals it was different. The way I'd planned it was that Subaru was going to be sick for a few days until whatever fever he would have been running finally got high enough that he passes out. War-Rock, naturally, would panic, but he would call up Amachi, and the two would strike up a conversation about trust and all that. Who knows? Maybe I write that one day, just without the sickfic aspect of it. Lemme know if that would interest you guys.
Anyway, how was the story? Good? Bad? Meh? Lemme know! Constructive criticism is always helpful, regardless of how blunt :)
... I should probably be working on that Slugterra story, huh? Until next time!
~*MegaMon2580*~
