CHAPTER 8: A Melody From the Past
The humidity of the evening jungle seeps into his clothes and cause them to stick against his protoform. Even for a robot, it's less than totally pleasant. But Blues finds a way to cherish it. Good or bad, it is a feeling. A sensation. Soon those will cease to be. Even the worst parts of living seem bright and cherished to the eyes of a dying man. Every emerald green of the enormous leaved plants he pushes through, the glowing orange of the setting sun, and the deepening midnight blue of the sky above is a jewel that will soon be lost to him. Tears threaten at the corners of his eyes, but he doesn't let himself give in to the sorrow. "Look at me... I did this... I chose this... I set out to live and die on my own terms... And I did... I did it... "
As he pushes his way out of the vegetation atop a hill he is perfect and free. Birds fly past him out of the brush, harkening a lovely, wild melody. Though his limbs feel weaker and weaker he spreads his arms out into the open air and unleashes his own melody. His symphony. Blues's song belongs in this wild, vibrant world that he will call his final resting place. When he lived in the lab the tune was merely a whispy dream of what his life was... What it could be... But as he travelled the world... As he experienced life and death, strife and peace, bitter sorrow and deep sweet harmony that always had a way of following... His song, he finds, has grown more real... Wiser... Melancholy but somehow intrinsically uplifting. Now as he stands here at the end is bursts from his lips with uncontainable power, elevating him above the world, past the now and into the mysterious newness of eternity...
As the world fades to blackness around him... He is at peace.
And then... Slowly... His song begins to change... Unnoticeable at first... But as it goes and goes he finds that there are pieces of the melody he can't quite remember and get right... The more he fights to sing his song the way it was meant to be sung, the he more it slips from his grasp.
"No... Come back... Please..."
He trembles as his song, his beautiful melody, is stripped from him note by note, bar by bar until he can't even remember how it begins. He is alone. Alone in the dark. Slowly shrinking into nothing.
Blues opens his eyes, no longer in the jungle but on a lab table now, and watches, frozen in place, as Doctor Light rips his core out of his chest.
"Time to finally do away with that rebellious streak."
"NOOOOO!"
Blues jolts awake for real this time, sitting upright on the lab table and gasping as his whole body shakes uncontrollably. He rips himself from the power cables tangling him up and clatters to the floor, scrambling away.
When Megaman walks in to check on his brother, Blues is still curled up on the floor, trembling uncontrollably and pale as a sheet.
"Protoman!" Rock instantly runs to crouch down beside his brother. "What is it, what's wrong? It's okay!"
Blues flinches when Megaman places a hand on him, still not fully conscious of his surroundings.
"M.. My song... H-h-how does it... I... I can't remember how it... P...please... I have to remember. I can't lose it!"
He whistles brokenly, not quite hitting the right notes.
"H... He took it from me while I was asleep, he took my... Ngh... M... Make him give it back!"
"Sshhhh..." Megaman gently begins propping his brother up to put his head in his lap. Blue's little tune is clear in his mind. He tries whistling, but finds he's not as good at it as Protoman, and so he doesn't quite hit the notes right either. He quickly abandons it to start humming it instead.
Blues starts to calm down once Megaman hums his song and gradually goes still as he listens. And then... Hesitantly he joins in, whistling the tune in harmony. As he gets the basic melody the pieces begin to fall back into place despite his frazzled mind.
Rock smiles a bit, enjoying this sort of bonding moment with his brother. As long as he keeps whistling, he hums along with him.
As they sing, Blues calms down more and more... Finally to the point that he realizes how much he's humiliating himself with this shameful lack of composure. Eventually he quiets and sits back up, sorting through his thoughts in silence.
"Um...are you okay?" Rock timidly asks.
"...yeah," Blues looks to the side, embarrassed. He takes his helmet off and shakes his hair out. His head was hot.
Rock quietly takes notice. "Why do you hardly ever take your helmet off?"
"... I have dumb hair."
As if to prove him right it assumes it's pointy pomp. In truth though, he wears the helmet more because it provides him with a sense of anonymity and security.
"No you don't! It's just messy like mine, and yours is longer."
Blues ignores his assertion, keeping his eyes away from Rock's.
"...Do you wanna talk about your bad dream? I sometimes have them too...and it always helps when I talk to Roll or Dr. Light about it."
Blues's continued silence speaks volumes.
Now it's Rock's turn to look away. "I know you may not want to so if you don't it's okay."
Blues surprises him with an answer. "If you could live forever as someone else or die as yourself... And those were your only options... What would you choose?"
The younger boy is stricken by the serious question. "That's...hard..."
"...yeah." Protoman puts his helmet back on.
"But..." Rock continues. "I know that I wouldn't want to live forever if I changed so much that I started doing bad things..." He looks pensive. "But...if I died, everyone would miss me... Maybe...if I knew I'd still be good and happy and other people would be happy to have the new me around...maybe I'd let myself change..."
He lapses back into thoughtful silence.
Blues finally stares back at him. "... You don't think they would miss you if you stopped being you?
...what if you stopped loving some people and things you loved before. And started liking things that you once hated. Wouldn't you be dead anyway? Where would the old you go... Would you even really exist anymore?"
"Mmph... But...people can change like that anyway... That doesn't make them dead."
The red bot grunts. "... The point is, you shouldn't worry about what everyone else thinks and be willing to sacrifice yourself for them. In the end... You're all you've got."
Rock shakes his head. "But...there's things more important than me..."
"..." Blues tries to stand up, but the moment he does the strength leaves his knees and he toppled back to the ground. "Ack." Still not back to his old self. He fumbles to try to reach for the power cables and plug himself back in.
"And I've got more than just me..." Rock adds, "I've got Dr. Light, and Roll, and..." when he sees Blues ignoring him he tapers off back into silence.
"...You're a cinnamon roll," Blues mutters.
"...What?"
"You heard me."
Protoman seats himself back on the table once he's hooked in and the strength returns to his limbs.
"Well yeah, but what's that supposed to mean?"
"The fact that you don't know just makes you that much more of a cinnamon roll."
Megaman pouts. "Tell meeeee."
"Nope. ...hey are there any books around here?" he looks around curiously.
"Oh, um...yeah, but...I don't know the full extent of the doctor's books, and, well, you wouldn't like my books."
Just then Mega man's communicator buzzes urgently. "Rock, bring Blues and hurry back right now!"
The voice is Roll's. "It's the robot masters! We see them out our window and they're heading for the front of the lab complex! Bring daddy's laptop too! HURRY!"
Blues, who overheard the conversation, unplugs himself immediately and grabs for his shield and the laptop in question. With Protoman and the laptop taken care of, Megaman runs behind his brother and goes to their father.
Protoman, to his credit, makes it all the way to the back exit of the building before he stumbled and falls to his knees. When his brother grabs him and helps him towards the door he sees something and protests. "Ack... Megaman wait. The door." He points to the sign on the side. Emergency exit only. Alarm will sound upon opening. "If we go now they'll know something's up."
"Oh! Good thinking!" Megaman stops and looks for an alternate route. "We'll find somewhere else to go out."
"No wait. I have an idea."
"What is it?"
Protoman shushes his brother and waits, listening hard...
As it turns out he doesn't have to listen too hard. All at once there's a loud clatter of doors crashing open on the other side of the building, stark against the otherwise silence of the night. As he hears it, Protoman throws the rear doors open, setting off every alarm in the building with a deafening racket. "Now! Hurry!"
They make a mad dash for the campus apartments while the Wily bots are left behind to believe they're the source of the alarm trip. Megaman makes sure to keep close to his brother in case he needs help keeping up. "Good idea, Protoman!"
When they make it safely back to the doctor's temporary home, Blues collapses to the floor in exhaustion. They barely went a couple of blocks but he feels like he just ran a marathon.
The moment they're both inside, Light scoops both boys into his arms in a bear hug. "Oh thank merciful heavens..."
"Oof!" Megaman hugs him back, as well as Roll when she comes to join in the hug. "Wh-what are we gonna do?"
"Rest..." His brother replies dizzily, a limp noodle being held up only by the mutual hug.
"Oh dear Bl-Protoman... You need to recharge..." The doctor frets, looking around. "What to do... ". There are no outlets here capable of producing the output and the grounding that he would need to refuel.
Rock looks to his dad worriedly.
"P... Perhaps I could... No... Maybe... Ngh... Think, Thomas, think..." he mutters to himself.
"Do you have an idea?" Rock prompts, "What is it? What can I do?"
"The problem is we need a power source capable of producing the kind of output his core should be getting that also has enough grounding to keep that charge flowing through his system, but to do that we would need another generator with a replenishable... Sustainable... Output..."
The doctor's gaze has fallen on Rock, a lightbulb going off.
"Roll... Do we have a pair of car battery clamps in the hall closet?"
"Hm? I'll go check," She goes and opens it up. Luckily they do. "Here they are! What do you need them for?"
"..." Protoman looks between the doctor and Megaman, who Light's gaze is fixed on, realizing it a moment before his brother what the doctor had in mind.
"NO."
"What?! What is it?" Rock still doesn't get it.
"I REFUSE"
"WHAT!?"
# # # # # # # # #
Despite his refusal, shortly thereafter his and Rock's chests are open and the doctor is fixing the clamps up.
"Now then... This might punch a bit, but it'll only be momentary."
Protoman groans in abject humiliation as he's hooked into his brother's power supply and vice versa. This is the worst. He will never live this down.
"I'm still confused..." Rock murmurs. No one tells him anything…
"Daddy's hooking you up to Protoman so you can recharge his core! Isn't that right daddy?" Roll informs knowledgably.
"That's exactly right, my sweetheart!" He lauds, then addresses Rock, "Your stable core can supply just the balance of power that your brother needs to get back up to speed!"
"Oh...I can do that?" he blinks and looks down at his core in amazement.
"Aren't you angry!?" Rock's older brother hisses. "They just hooked you up to me without even asking your permission! And he has me leeching off of you without MY permission! This is all kinds of wrong!"
"Well I mean...I don't mind at all if it will help you."
Blues glares at him hatefully. "Well you're just mister f***king helpful aren't you."
"! BLUES LIGHT WE DO NOT USE THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE IN THIS HOUSE," the doctor roars.
"Ack!" Rock looks stricken by his brother's harsh tone.
Protoman has only a moment to look surprised before he gets dragged by his ear to the bathroom to have his mouth washed out with soap. And unfortunately, because they're attached now, Rock gets dragged with him
"Ack wait Dad!" Rock stammers.
The bathroom door closes decisively while the sounds of Protoman gagging can be heard within. "STOp it Dlandjakfksjdj I'll smack you, old man! ALDJSLFKSKJF"
Rock and Roll look between each other. Uh oh.
When they emerge, Blues has a bar of soap in his mouth and looks sick.
The twins' eyes widen and they hastily move aside. O.O
"Bligh..." Blues gags as he spits it out.
The doctor looks unusually unapologetic. "And let that be a lesson of what a foul mouth will earn you" he scolds.
"….." Rock takes another glance at his brother and snickers.
Protoman waits until their father goes back down the hall before socking his brother in the arm.
"OW!"
"Deal with it."
"Meanie," Rock rubs his new sore spot. "Not my fault you said a bad word."
Blues grunts and tugs him along by his new "leash", earning another exclamation from Rock who stumbles and nearly falls. He gets tugged into the kitchen where Blues snatched a can of fuel and used it to wash the awful taste of bitter soap of his mouth.
"…Looks like this is working though." Rock comments, giving the cords a test tug.
Blues crunches the can in his fist with ease, a feat he couldn't manage minutes beforehand. "Apparently so." He just hopes this arrangement doesn't last too long.
"...Hey Protoman?" Rock prompts.
"...what."
"What were those books you got?"
"...Frankenstein. And the Hunger Games. But I was mainly reading Frankenstein."
"Oh! I know those!"
"...oh?"
"Well I kind of know Frankenstein," Rock corrects. "And I only saw the Hunger Games movies."
"...well the book's a lot different than the movie. For Frankenstein, at least."
"Yeah?" Rock continues, interested. "What's Frankenstein about? I only know the monster."
"It's actually the doctor that's the bad guy... Not his "monster." He makes a living guy out of dead parts but once he does he gets disgusted with it just because he thinks it's creepy... Then he tries to kill it, but the monster teaches itself about the world and gets smarter and tries to convince the doctor that he deserves to live."
"Oh...that's sad..."
Blues nods. He finds himself becoming subconsciously aware of the power flowing between them and hesitantly gives it a little push to test it. Then he grimaces all the more. This is weird and he doesn't like it.
"I...I wonder if they've left yet..." Rock is peeking between the window blinds cautiously.
Protoman tosses Megaman a can of fuel and gets another one for himself. "If they haven't, I'll have to fight them." He doesn't look concerned.
"Huh? But we just fixed you!" Rock gratefully takes the can. He was getting a little thirsty.
"Won't make a difference to them, so it doesn't make a difference to me."
"Well if you go fight them, I'll go with you."
"Joy" He drags Rock to the living room next, where he lays down on the couch. When his dumb brother has a hard time getting situated on the couch beside him due to their connection, Blues gets up, has Megaman lay down on the couch first, and then lays down on top of his baby brother, using Rock as a pillow.
"... Protoman you're heavy..." Rock whines.
"You're warm," he replies nonchalantly, but he reluctantly moves some of his weight off of Megaman."
"Um...thanks?" Rock says, confused.
Protoman shrugs and yawns as he watches tv and starts to doze.
"Uh oh" Light says as he enters the room. "Getting drowsy? You might have to move to Rock's room."
Blues groans. But coooooouch.
"U-um if he's too tired to get back up I can, uh, I-I can stay like this for the night," Rock tries to avoid a conflict.
Light shakes his head. "No no... There's room enough in your bed for two and it's important that you both get some rest.
He picks up the whining Protoman who has, since his mouth washing, seemingly reverted to a petulant three-year-old.
Rock gets up along with him.
The doctor deposits the two boys in Rock's bed. "There now. Get some rest you two. Keep plugged in like that overnight, okay? And if any of the clamps come off don't try to reattach them yourselves, come and get my help."
Rock gets his usual nightly tuck in, complete with a goodnight kiss. "Sleep tight, my son."
"G'night, dad," he beams.
The doctor tries to repeat the tucking for Blues, who rejects the advance with a glare. "Bah. Fine. Goodnight to you too, Protoman."
"Hmph," he grunts sourly. Rock looks nervous about the exchange but keeps quiet.
Thomas Light creeps out of the room and turns out the lights so they can sleep.
For a while there is a long, awkward silence. It is Rock who finally breaks it.
"Protoman, are you sure you don't want him to tuck you in?"
"Positive," he emphasizes. "I'm not some dumb kid that needs tucking."
"Fiiiine."
Blues rolls over to face away from him. No, he's not some dumb kid that needs tucking. He's just some kid who is sleeping on the bed for the first time in... Ever. It shows. He doesn't know what to do with all the space.
"...G'night, Protoman," Rock yawns. "I promise I won't hog the covers." He pauses, and then adds as a hasty afterthought "So you better not either." :I
~ "Psh. Who needs covers?"
"Trust me. It's cold without- ..."
"...I'll deal." Protoman answers when he cuts off.
"….Well I guess I don't mind if you hog them a little." Rock amends.
Blues shrugs. He's survived without this long.
But Rock keeps feeling the need to set some ground rules. "...if I'm doing anything that wakes you up during the night, you can go ahead and wake me to get me to stop."
"...sure." Protoman yawns. "...night."
"Goodnight," Rock answers cheerily. "I hope you have good dreams this time."
Blues mutters something almost unintelligible. Almost.
Rock hears it though, and grins. "You're welcome."
"..." Protoman closes his eyes. His cheeks feel hot.
Megaman sighs peacefully as his eyes close next.
# # # # # # #
When morning comes, Protoman finds that both he and his brother have shifted places. For starters, he is no longer curled on the very edge of the bed but snuggled towards the center under some covers rock MUST have put there. Rock himself is half way on top of him, rolled over facedown onto his brother with an arm wrapped around Blues as though they're hugging.
The next thing Blues noticed is how much energy he has... Usually he feels somewhat depleted and drowsy when he first wakes, and he has to get moving to get his lower levels flowing again, but today? Today he's... huh... He feels good. Really good. Like he could jump up and run a marathon.
Rock looks positively content as he sleeps on. At one point his head moves almost to give his big brother a sleepy nuzzle.
" ..." If Rock was conscious he wouldn't put up with this, but Blues finds himself relaxing as he surveys his brother's sleeping face.
Rock's hair is quite the mess now, but he is the picture of contentment. A small, smug grin tugs at the corners of his lips. As Blues watches he starts to mutter. "Mnn...cmon..."
"...?" Protoman listens in. He doesn't seem to be awake. Perhaps sleep talking?
"One...more game..."
"..." Blues can't help it. He quirks a grin. Such a kid.
"Best..." Rock's hand curls around nothing. "Brother..."
"... " Now Blues's face is definitely red. "Dummy…"
"Nn..."
Worried he might wake, Protoman acts asleep.
But he doesn't wake. Instead he keeps on muttering in his sleep. "G...goof" =3=
... ~
Though Rock did technically hear him and reacted in his dream, he's still far too deep in recharge to be rouses so easily. Little does he know that while Protoman might be feeling more awake and refreshed than ever, the overnight connection has caused an opposite side effect in the boy. It's going to be unusually difficult for him to get up and moving today.
Blues is, to his credit, patient with his brother for a while. The first thirty minutes after waking he spends in silence. The next thirty he uses by picking up Mega man's tablet and using it to scan the web. It's only after an hour of waiting fruitlessly that he shifts the boy, burritos Rock in a blanket, and carries him out of the room, still asleep, so he can pursue other things.
"Mmm..." Even that isn't enough to wake him. Rock simply leans against his brother's shoulder.
Blues grabs the nearest book he can find-Advanced Theories of Quantum Physics Volume II-and begins perusing it.
As he reads he murmurs a few phrases here and there. "...and the angular momentum of type 2 quarks as they orbit the nuclear mass makes a case for micro-offsets in the expected electron shell variance. As such the proton mass..."
Finally Rock begins to stir. When he hears the voice he misrecognizes it. "Hmm...Dad...?"
Blues snerks. "Not even close."
"Huh...?" Rock's eyes finally blink open.
Blues ruffles his kid brother's already messy hair.
Despite his lethargy, Rock quickly realizes that he's no longer in bed, but in Protoman's lap. Embarrassed, he tries squirming away only to realize that he's been snugly burrito'd while he slept.
Blues snorts. "I was starting to think you'd never wake up."
./_/. "Did you do this?"
"Well it wasn't the tooth fairy."
"What time is it...?" Rock blinks.
"Almost 10. You slept in."
"Oh gosh, I really did. I slept... Heheheh...I slept like a Rock." =3=
Blues groans. "... Did you just..." He gives his brother such a withering look.
Rock giggles. "Mm...I'm still sleepy though...it's weird..."
"Oh?"
"Mhmm..." =~=
Blues gives the connection between them a light tug. Perhaps that's why he feels more energized than normal. "... MWAHAHA! All part of my EVIL PLAN to steal all of your awakes! Soon you'll be powerless to stop doctor Wily and the robot masters! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Rock cracks into a huge grin and starts snickering up a storm at his impression of Wily.
"FOOL! Don't laugh at me! You'll be sorry!"
However he can't stop giggling.
Blues rolls his eyes and flips to the next page of his book.
When Rock calms down, he is quiet for a moment before he asks "Did you have good dreams this time?"
"... I didn't dream."
"Aww...I had a good dream and I thought for sure since we were connected you'd have one too. Maybe even the same dream as me."
Blues looks at him.
:I "You dummy. Our power supplies are connected, not our heads. We're sharing energy, not thoughts."
"Oh... Well at least you didn't have another nightmare."
"...yeah, at least that."
"Hm...you think we should find Dad and see if we can be disconnected now?"
"Sure." Blues tosses his burrito brother over his shoulder and carries him toward Light's room.
"Whoah!" Rock gasps.
The doctor is pouring over some papers when they come in. "Ah! There you are. How did you boys sleep?"
Blues places Rock down on his dad's bed. "Fine. Can we come unlatched yet?"
"Good" Rock yawns and rubs his eyes. "But m'still kinda sleepy..."
"Oh? Sleepy? Well perhaps that's to be expected. Bl-PROTOman is draining some energy off of you, after all. But hmm... I'm not sure you're ready to be taken apart yet... You see the idea is to bring Protoman's battery back up to its optimal capacity. For that, both of you should be maxed out on power, but we can see how it goes!"
He gets up and unclamps the both of them, shutting both chest panels before he has Blues walk around.
The red bot finds the clamp takeaway to be immediately draining. Though he can move around he feels very fatigued, and the instruments Light uses to check him out reflect that. "Hmm... Still only running at half capacity."
"Wha? But he seemed fine." Rock questions.
"That is because your cores were connected and power was being shared between you, my son. When connected you two had equal draw from both cores, but separate, your own energies are back to just what each core is outputting. How do you feel, Rock?"
"Better...more awake...but I don't wanna leave Protoman feeling bad..."
"Of course not. And we shan't! In another day or two of staying connected to you his core will stabilize back out at its intended capacity and you'll both be as energized as you should be.
"We gotta be connected a whole day or two?" Rock tilts his head.
Protoman practically gags. "ANOTHER DAY OR TWO!?"
"Well that would be ideal, yes, but if we can get him a different power source he doesn't necessarily have to be hooked up to you." He addresses Rock.
Protoman still looks sick. "Hey I can't hang out here all week, I have things to do!"
"Well if Rock is agreeable he can go with you and you can do them together."
"In PUBLIC!? Like THIS!?"
"What if something happens?" Rock points out. "It'll be harder to move if we're connected..."
Light strokes his beard. "I suppose if there's an emergency you'll have to disconnect from him. It won't set him back in his recovery. It will only mean he won't be running up to his normal speed."
Blues grumbles.
Rock's eyes also drift to the side. "Y...yeah...people will stare..." Rock is distressed for a slightly different reason than his brother. He's not embarrassed by the idea of being seen connected to him. It's the fact that it will look very inhuman to everyone around them.
"I guess I'm stuck here," Blues groans.
Rock looks him over worriedly. "...W...well... I won't make you be cooped up here..."
The red bot shakes his head. "Nah it's the opposite. You should go do whatever. I'll hook myself back up to the machine in the lab. Besides my stuff's... In... There..."
Blues freezes up as he realizes what he forgot last night. In a moment he's disconnected from Rock and rushing out the door.
! "Protoman wait!" With his energy back to normal, Rock chases after him.
Blues gets a good way because of the head start, but by the time he is outside he is slowing down and laboring to continue. It's like he is walking through sludge. Rock easily catches up to him and puts an arm around him. "Hey...what are you doing?"
"Ngh... I gotta go look for my things, if they found them they'll KNOW..."
Okay okay...we'll look together. Do you know where you put them last?
"They... They were in that box... Under the table I was laying on."
"Okay. Let's go look there."
Blues nods and jogs as quickly as he can towards the lab building. Rock keeps close by in case his brother needs help getting there.
When Blues stumbles into the lab room from the previous night he fumbles around until he finds the spot where the box was placed. He grabs it out from under the table and begins rifling through its contents, looking for signs that the robot masters have been here. Megaman is relieved that the box is at least there. "Is everything safe?"
"I... I don't see anything missing..." He closes it back up and hugs it to his chest. That was almost really bad...
Megaman sighs. "Good...let's get it somewhere safe."
He nods and carries it as they head back toward the apartment.
Rock once again puts an arm around Blues's shoulder to help him make it.
Blues collapses on top of his box when they get back to the university apartment.
Rock immediately calls for Dr. Light. The doctor hurries over quickly to hook them back up. "Reckless! You should have let Rock go!"
"Mph."
"But he's okay, right dad? He just wanted to see for himself if it was all okay
"Of course. U But he needs to calm down and not go running around while he's on the mend!"
"Dad, don't yell at him...he was just worried..." Rock frowns and places himself between them defensively.
"Oh yes, yes fine... But stay in now please!"
Rock nods and looks to the side. "So are you gonna reconnect us?
Light looks at his son and notices he's averted eyes. "...do you not wish me to?"
"I just know Protoman won't be happy about it..."
"...I'll live" his brother replies.
"There now..." The doctor hooks them back up in no time.
Rock looks to his father and brother. "So what should we do now? Should we stay here and hide for today?"
"I don't think that would be a bad idea." The doctor replies. "At least until Blues gets a bit better. Ack. I mean Protoman."
Blues just grunts and walks his now energized legs over to the living room. He starts going through the book shelf looking for reading material. Rock, of course, follows quietly behind him and looks curiously at what his brother is going to pick.
Protoman grabs three books-one of maps, one on simple principles of mechics, and one on basic psychology. The doctor doesn't have much in the way of story books, it seems. He hops onto the couch, tosses Rock the remote so he can entertain himself with television, and starts reading. In just an hour and a half he has shredded through the rather dense volume on mechanics and is working on memorizing every detail in the atlas. Near photographic memory is both a blessing and a curse of his.
Rock does, in fact, turn on the TV for the sake of having something to distract him so he won't keep bugging Blues, but once he sees his brother already putting down the book on mechanics, he gasps. "You read through all that?!"
"Yeah. It was kind of dull."
He offers it to Rock in case he wants to read.
"No thanks. Dad's books are boring. I'd offer my own books, but, well, they're probably small and childish to you." .
"Oh?" Blues is already getting up and heading for his room.
"Yeah...they're not as big as the books you got-ack!"
Blues finds Rock's recently relocated library and snatches a whole shelf's worth off. He carries is back the couch and starts reading through the titles. "Little House on The Prairie... The Box Car Children... A Hot and Cold Summer, Tarantula Shoes, Mr. Tucket... "
Rock's hands shuffle together, wondering what his brother is gonna think of his books. He probably thinks they're baby books compared to what he can read...
"..." Blues settles on Charlotte's Web and begins reading it.
Relieved to have not at least been teased, Rock sighs. He always liked that one. He returns his attention to the TV so Blues can read in peace.
It's another hour before Blues finishes that one. "What a selfish pig."
"Huh? How is he selfish?"
Blues's mouth forms a lopsided frown. "He just whined and complained! He knew he was in trouble but he just cried about it until the spider came along to save him. Then he soaked up all the credit for her accomplishments, and he used her as the tool for his salvation... And by the time he was saved? She had been worked to death. She gave up her whole life to preserve his selfish one."
"That's not true..." Rock frowns. "It wasn't his fault she died. And I wouldn't say she gave up her life at all...what would she have done without him? She would have made webs and eaten bugs anyway. But she chose to help Wilbur...She wanted to use her unique skills to make something great and protect someone she didn't want to see killed."
"...hmph. And what did it get her? A friend? Wilbur never did anything for her. Not one thing her whole life. He only ever talked to her to complain. He only ever complimented her work when it was to his benefit. She could have used her life and skills to benefit a REAL friend that cared about her and did nice things for her in return... But instead she wasted it helping a selfish nobody."
"It's not like she was unhappy helping him...Wilbur was her friend, and she got to have a happy life too. She got to make have her babies, remember? I don't think it mattered to her if people recognized her for the webs she made...she was just happy to see people admiring them and knowing that they were giving Wilbur another chance. You don't think he ever did anything nice for her? He took care of her egg sac after she died."
"Hmph. It was the least any decent person would have done."
"You think so? I'm not sure if any of the other animals would have cared that she died or done anything to protect her eggs... I don't think Wilbur was selfish...all he wanted was to live...and to have a friend..."
"Muh," Blues puts the book to the side and picks up another.
After Blues grabs another book, Rock notices one of the books he'd taken. Uh oh. He shouldn't see that one. While Blues is focused on the book he holds, he grabs one from the pile and quickly pushes it under the couch.
Blues doesn't seem to have noticed the change out of books. He just goes on perusing through the latest book he pulled.
Rock leans back into the couch, pleased with himself for being so sneaky. He looks at the cover, wondering which book he's reading now.
The book, as it so happens, is one that Blues has read before, albeit a long time ago. It was once a part of his own 'childhood' collection. "Oh the Places You'll Go" by doctor Seuss. He still remembers every page and every word… He just felt like nostalgically thumbing through it again.
"Oh, I haven't read any of my Seuss books in a while," Rock comments.
"Hm... They're interesting books" His lips purse thoughtfully as he reads. He's thought back to this one many a time through his travels.
"Is that one your favorite?"
Once he's finished it he puts it reverently off to the side and grabs for something another. "It was one of my firsts."
"Oh yeah?"
"Mhmm."
Rock goes searching through the pile. "Here!" He pulls out The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
"Hm?" Blues hasn't read this one before. He accepts it from Rock and opens it.
"..." :I
"...What?" Rock questions the odd expression.
"….It's so dumb."
Taken aback, the blue robot averts his eyes. "I like it..." He mutters softly.
Blues sighs. Oh now he's upset him again. "I guess it's okay."
"Besides, it was only my first." Rock adds.
"Fine fine," Blues waves him off. "You don't have to justify your likes and dislikes to me."
"Do you have a favorite, Blues?"
His brother gives him the sly eye, not missing the use of his original name. "Favorite book you mean?"
"Yeah"
"Hm..."
"If you can't decide on an absolute favorite, you can tell me a couple."
Blues has to think about that one. "... I don't know. Oh the Places You'll Go is definitely high on my list... But there are so many books out there that I haven't read yet that it's hard to pick a favorite if I don't even know if I've read it yet."
"That's a good point... My favorite so far...I think it has to be..." He rummages and extracts The Giving Tree.
Blues stares at it in silence.
"Do you know this one?" Rock asks.
"I do. But read it anyway."
"Really?" The younger boy looks surprised.
"Mhm."
"Y-...you want me to read it?" Rock gets a huge grin and eagerly opens up the book. He's heard this one enough to recite every line perfectly.
Blues smiles lightly as he watches the kid's enthusiasm.
Some point during the story, Roll spots the two brothers and ends up taking a seat on the floor to listen to her brother tell the rest of it.
Protoman glances over to her curiously but soon pays her no mind and continues to listen to Rock read. It's somewhere therein that the doctor comes in and peeks his head through the doorframe to see what the gathering is about. He smiles like such a proud parent. Light moves into the kitchen to start preparing dinner while the kids continue to read.
When Megaman finishes, Roll applauds. "That was really good Rock! You're a great narrator!"
Rock grins and blushes. "It's just cuz I've heard it so much." He glances to his brother, wondering what he thought.
Blues is stoic. "...It's fitting for you, I suppose."
"You think so...?"
Protoman nods, although not in an entirely happy way.
Rock doesn't seem to notice. He puts the book down with the same prideful smile.
Blues stretches his arms out and sighs. "You... are definitely a cinnamon roll."
That breaks the boy's grin. DX "What does that meeeeaaannn. Tell meeeee."
Blues sticks his tongue out. "Too sweet for this world."
"..." Rock blushes bright.
Roll giggles at that. "Cinnamon roll!"
0 "You're the only Roll here, so you're the cinnamon roll!" her twin protests.
Doctor Light comes back in and looks through the assortment of books out. "My my... what well read children I have." He notices "Oh the Places You'll Go" at the top of the stack and picks it up. "Ah... it's been years since I've read this one... Protoman you liked this one, didn't you?"
Blues feels prodded. "Yeah," he looks away, embarrassed.
"I can tell. It sure seems like a story he'd like," Roll comments
Blues pouts. He whistles grumpily to himself while he picks the map book back up.
"Is dinner almost ready, Dad?" Rock asks
"Getting close! I made a favorite-fried chicken, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes and gravy!"
"Oooohhh!" Rock's mouth waters.
If Blues's tank was the grumbly sort it would be growling. That sounds... good.
"Say Dad, is our connection gonna affect our refueling at all?" his younger brother asks.
"No son it shouldn't! But it is important that both of you fuel up. Especially you, Rock. Your core is serving as the battery that Protoman's is charging off of. For him to run at max you have to make sure you're running at max too." He grins wide. "Which means you eat as much as you like... and be ready for some dessert afterwards!"
Rock's mouth pops open. "What's for dessert?!"
"It's a surprise," his father grins
Rock beams and bounces in his seat excitedly.
"Alright! Let's eat!" Blues surprises them all by getting up. Protoman leads the way, toting Rock behind him.
Despite his lacking energy, Rock gets into his seat as quick as he can.
Soon the doctor brings their meal out steaming and smelling delicious. Blues finds his mouth watering too. Hoo boy.
"Mmm!" Rock licks his lips and wastes no time digging in.
Roll follows her brother and the doctor digs into his own oil-free share, leaving Blues to... stare. He's somewhat unsure how to handle the meal and picks at it carefully with a fork before taking some cautious bites. It's hot. Much hotter than he's used to eating his food.
Rock notices this and looks curiously. "Do you not like it?"
Blues blows on is softly to try to get it to cool before taking another bite. "N...no... it's good..." He savors the unfamiliar flavor.
"Have you never had chicken before?"
"No," Blues eyes it suspiciously. In fact, Blues isn't quite sure how he feels about it morally... He likes birds... And he doesn't have to eat them... He puts the chicken off to the side for now and focuses on the macaroni and potatoes.
"Do you like the other stuff at least?"
Protoman nods. "Look, don't worry about me. Enjoy your stuff."
Blues is right. Rock is nagging his brother too much. He decides to leave Protoman alone and simply enjoys his own food. "Mmmm. =u= This is real good."
Protoman keeps nibbling at his noodles and gradually eats more and more as it cools but mainly he sticks to his regular fuel.
Remembering what Dr. Light told him, Rock is sure to ask for seconds when he eventually finishes his first plate.
The doctor happily helps it for him. "Is it good? Did I make it the way that you like?"
"Yeah! The chicken is real crispy and juicy."
Protoman 's mouth twists up as he continues to avoid the meat.
Rock is so focused on eating that he doesn't even notice his brother's discomfort. Protoman just forks down the rest of his mac and cheese and potatoes, shoves his chicken onto his brother's plate when he thinks Rock isn't looking. Then he downs the rest of his liquid fuel.
Of course Rock notices. He always notices. "... Sure you don't want it?"
His brother doesn't meet his eyes and nods. Rock just shrugs and happily finishes the chicken for him.
The doctor finishes up, wiping his mouth daintily with a napkin. "Mmm... what a lovely meal with my family."
"Mhmm!" Rock and Roll agree fully. "So...what's that dessert you mentioned?"
Rock looks to his dad with great enthusiasm. The doctor smiles. "Hungry for more?"
He goes to the freezer and pulls out a cake. But not just any kind of cake. "If I remember correctly... you DO like chocolate fudge ice cream cake, do you not?"
!
Roll squeals. "You really got an ice cream cake?!"
The doctor nods. "It's a special occasion!"
The children cheer and hold out their plates for a slice.
Blues just stares blankly at the dessert, not sure what to make of it. He keeps staring as everyone helps themselves a plate. He doesn't know what to do with the melty brown triangle when the doctor passes him one.
Rock takes a big bite. "Mmmmmm!"
When he notices that Protoman hasn't touched it, he's shocked. "Don't tell me you don't like chocolate ice cream!"
"Um... . wouldn't know." Protoman picks at it with his fork and takes a hesitant bite.
"...! It's cold."
Rock and Roll are absolutely stunned. "Duh!" Says Roll. "Ice cream's s'posed to be cold!"
Blues chews it only to have the stuff melt in his mouth. So... sweet. With another interesting new flavor. "So this is chocolate... I see why the humans like it..."
"It's good, right?" Rock grins.
Protoman nods mutedly and keeps eating.
Light smiles at the bittersweet sight. His poor boy... all the things he's missed out on... But he gets to try them now.
The smile falls from Rock's face when he realizes that his brother does not seem as happy to be eating this as he expected. Protoman finishes his plate, then picks it up and brings it over to the sink to wash.
"Ah! Protoman I can do those." The doctor tries to stop him, but he rinses it off anyway and sticks it in the dish washer.
"I got it." Protoman can't let himself be a discourteous guest. This isn't really his home. After that he sits back down beside Rock so his brother can finish eating before he goes dragging him anywhere else. But since he's being pulled along anyway, Rock washes and puts away his dish after his brother, and Roll decides to follow both of their examples.
"Mmmmm...that was good, Dad" says Rock with a contented grin.
"Yes, thank you, Daddy" chimes Roll. The robot girl can't help but glance to her big brother.
Light just looks at all three of them. Somehow Blues is bringing out a responsible streak in all of his children. "Aha... ^-^ You're welcome, kids! Glad you enjoyed it. Now then... we have some time before bed... would you like to do anything?"
Protoman shrugs, not noticing Roll's gaze. He's been avoiding her somewhat since coming here, truth be told. A very subtle pout appears on Roll's face when Protoman doesn't offer any thanks of his own.
Light activates one of his little video drones while the kids go back to the living room and tidy up the book pile a bit. That's when Protoman finds one hidden under a pillow.
! Rock jolts.
"Oh? What do we have here~" Blues flips it open. "This one of yours, Megaman?" He almost says Rock. "Guess how much I love you..."
Rock fidgets nervously. "U-uh...yeah um...here I'll put that one in the pile where it belongs" he tries to swipe it from his brother's hands.
Protoman holds it up out of his grip.
"Oh? No no." He spies the look on his brother's face. Though he acted like it escaped his notice earlier he's been quietly biding his time. And now he knows.
"Nnngh that's one of my old baby books it's not worth reading!" ~ Rock starts to panic. He knows too well that Blues might not react very well to this particular book that his father used to read to him.
"Hey DOCTOR." Protoman holds the book up higher so Rock can't reach it. "Megaman wants you to read him a story!"
Roll snickers at the mischief.
"P-Protoman no..."
"No?" Blues smirks deviously. "You don't want him to read it? Maybe YOU'D like to read it, hmm?"
Distressed, Rock whines and keeps trying to snatch it.
Light pokes his head in. "What's that?"
Rock quiets. "….If I read it will you let me put it away?"
"….." Protoman tosses the book to him.
"Oh? You're reading another story, Rock?" the doctor hums. "I'd like to hear." He comes and settles down in the arm chair.
"Ack!" The blue bomber blushes profusely.
Protoman plops onto the couch. "Go on."
Rock gives his brother such a pout, but Blues just returns a sly, smug grin.
Roll whines. "C'mon rock. Pleeease? I wanna hear it for real!"
"So do I!" Light echoes.
"Okay okay I'll do it..." Taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, Rock opens the book.
His words lack the same confidence as when he read The Giving Tree, but despite all of his nervous fidgeting he manages to read with little in the way of hangups.
"Little Nutbrown Hare who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare's very long ears. He wanted to be sure that Big Nutbrown Hare was listening."
Rock pauses...and then he brings up one of his hands to take a hold of the end of Blue's scarf.
Roll smiles, knowing this story well, as well as the doctor. Blues frowns, though, when his brother grabs onto his scarf. "What? What do you want?"
Despite his resolve, he finds it hard to take his eyes off the pages as he goes on. But almost every time the phrase "guess how much I love you" is repeated, he gives the shyest glance towards his brother's visored face.
"..." Blues gulps, a blush starting to creep into his cheeks. His smug grin slowly falls from his face as his brother continues to read. Rather than laugh at his awkwardness while he reads the embarrassing story... the doctor and Roll both stare, smiling kindly and adoringly at their family. It doesn't take him too long to figure out that his plan to tease Rock has backfired. He looks away, embarrassed.
When he makes it through the last line, Rock slaps the book shut and hides his own blushing face in the yellow scarf.
a;lsdkfjsdfasd DX "H-hey cut that out!" his older brother stammers.
Roll giggles and gives her twin the same applause he received before.
Rock finally catches himself and removes his head from the yellow fabric, left instead to squirm in his seat.
Protoman doesn't do much better sitting across from him. "...d...dork."
Rock gives him a pout.
"Bah now be nice, Bl-Protoman!" The doctor chides. "I think it was VERY nice, Rock..."
"Th-thanks..."
Protoman puffs. Well whatever.
Rock gives a little yawn. The big meal and his lack of energy are taking their toll.
Protoman is still feeling pretty great physically though... just maybe not otherwise. Being surrounded by all these folks is... just not comfortable. He's about to head out to hide out of sight when something on the television catches his attention. He grabs the remote and turns it up.
"Hm...?" Rock turns his attention on the screen as well.
"Panic today as rampant robot gang raids yet another laboratory. This time it was the south-east side Metropolitan hospital. Reports clarify that no one was harmed in the raid, but many lab samples were lost, destroyed, or contaminated by the process, setting treatment of certain patients back up to several days. At the time hospital staff, fearing reprisal, do not want to comment on the raid. Concern grows as this is the first non-research related lab that has been raided in the stream of raids that began just four days ago. At this point it is unclear what the robots are searching for, though some sources speculate it may have to do with the attack on the Castile Heights apartment building destroyed earlier this week."
Protoman quivers. Metropolitan hospital. Not the children's hospital that he visits, but...
Megaman looks devastated...
"...This is my fault." Blues mutters.
"No... They're looking for me..." Rock assumes the blame.
Protoman shakes his head. "No... they're looking for the doctor... but if I hadn't tipped them off, you all wouldn't be vulnerable right now..."
Light's frown deepens. "Boys..."
But Blues cuts across him. "I can't let this keep happening. Tomorrow... I'll start patrolling the city. I'll try to draw them off."
"But...but what if you're not ready yet...?" Rock frowns, "You might need to recharge another day..."
"I'll be fine enough."
"Protoman we don't know that... you really may need more time..." The doctor quiets.
Blues grits his teeth. He has to go though. He needs to make sure the kids at that hospital are alright...
"...we can patrol together," Rock places a hand on his shoulder.
"..." Protoman doesn't expect the bloom of... gratitude... that wells up within him. But still he protests. "I would be a drag on you."
"No you wouldn't. I'm sure we'd be able to go patrolling successfully even while connected."
"Take it easy you two... no one's going anywhere tonight, you hear?" The doctor chides. "I admire your mutual commitment to act... but at the moment, going to fight might mean the loss of both of my sons... you must rest and recuperate. The robot masters thankfully don't seem intent on harming the normal citizens... in all of these lab incidents there have only been three cases where anyone was injured for resisting the raid, and no casualties have been reported. I do not believe Albert is out to cause harm indiscriminately this time."
"You...you really think so?"
Light nods. "I agree that we should aid as swiftly as possible in ending this, but no sooner than both of you are capable."
"F...fine..." Protoman nods. There's sense in that. All the while he hopes that nothing bad will happen tonight until he's better enough that he can act...
"Well...so what should we do now?" Rock asks.
"..." Protoman flops over on top of his dumb brother. "I'm gonna lay on you," Blues smooshes him.
"Ack! Protomaaannn!" DX Rock squirms.
Protoman kisses his head without thinking. "Adorable cinnamon roll~"
-click- The picture drone preserves that moment forever.
Blues blinks in surprise. ._. "eh?"
! "DAAAAAD!" Rock whines.
"Yeeeees?" No help will come from dad. He is too happy to see his sons bonding and the fact that he's getting family photos.
"You took a pictuuuuuuurrreee," Rock continues to mewl in a high pitched voice.
"It was the picture bot ^_^ I programmed it to pick out the most key moments when family bonding is happening and document them!"
Blues's surprised expression crinkles into a scowl. "Who the f...lapjack makes a robot that does that" he complains, almost using the F word again
A;lksdfjasdf;laksdfj Rock has just had the image of himself crushed beneath his big brother preserved forever. And kissed. Not to forget kissed. DX
Protoman is currently back up trying to smash the camera for that very reason.
"Ack Protoman-!" Rock gasps as he's dragged after him.
Light just smiles placidly. "Synced to bluetooth. Already in the cloud. It's preserved forever," The doctor announces.
Blues groans. Rock whines with him.
Roll jumps onto Rock and hugs him, giggling. "Now I gotcha! Take a picture of us!"
She kisses her brother and the drone happily obliges.
Protoman grab his shield and backs himself against the wall with it to avoid being filmed. ***
o "That's it sis, you're gonna get it now!" Rock reaches for her sides and starts tickling her.
;lkasdjf;sdlkfsajf Now it's Roll's turn to squirm.
Click... click... click... The camera starts firing off a lot. In a moment the doctor joins their tickle fight.
WOWHSHANDNGIKTNQUJSJDNEN
Blues watches the spectacle unfold not quite sure what to make of it. Dorks. Dorks everywhere.
...and yet...
Protoman feels a pang of something. It's like a deep gulf has opened up between himself and them even though they're only feet apart. And on the other side of that gulf he sees how he used to be. The kind of fun he had with the doctor when he was newly made.
"..." He quietly lets his shield down
Rock hears his shield drop and realizes something. While Light is busy with Roll, he sneaks to his brother.
"..." Protoman stares ahead.
"..." Rock holds up a finger.
"..."
It slowly goes for Protoman's hip.
"..." Protoman may or may not see it.
Ever since Blues made that hysterical squeak, Rock has had this question burning in his mind, and now he finally has a chance to have it answered. Whenever he wants to get his sister, he knows that the sweet spot is right above the hip. Thinking he's still being sneaky, he strikes and gives the spot on Protoman a quick pinch.
"..."
._.
Protoman squeaks.
!
It is shrill and high pitched and it takes all of half a second for Rock to be thrust to the floor, sat on, and retribution tickled.
"Rock remember when you laughed yesterday?"
Blues's evil grin further deepens. "I DO"
Rock bursts into hysterical laughter. "N-noooooo!"
Protoman tickles him mercilessly, poking at every sensitive bit of his form, including that same place on his hip near where his kidneys would be if he had them.
Rock spasms wildly again. "B-but it's not my faaaauulllt it was too funnyyyyyyy!"
"THIS IS FUNNIER," Blues growls.
"N-Nuh uuuuhhh!"
Protoman squashes him and keeps tickling at his shivering "skin" until he's laughing so hard he's crying. "UUUH HUUUUH~"
"NOOOO! MERCYYYY!"
Protoman has his way with him for a little while longer before releasing his poor, hysterical brother. Meanwhile, many a picture has been taken.
When it's finally over, Rock is laying on his back, trying desperately to catch his breath.
Blues realizes that Roll and Light are staring at them. He looks away, once again embarrassed. Rock realizes too and does the same.
Light breaks the tension with a small smile. "Alright... that was fun... but it's getting late. Time for bed I think." He picks his daughter up and carries her to her room to tuck in first.
"…" Blues follows his example and picks rock up, carrying him off.
"Hey!" Rock wiggles. Blues deviously grins over him.
Rock gets dumped into his bed and Blues lays down beside him. After a quiet pause… he takes his helmet off, in favor of sleeping without it.
Rock looks at him through the dimness, enthralled by the sight. He scooches closer.
"...Rock."
"Yeah?" his little brother asks quietly.
"...I've decided that I'm gonna call you that."
"Okay... Good ….can I call you Blues?
"...I'll allow it."
Rock's face breaks into a wild grin. He scoots closer until he's snug against his brother.
"..." Protoman rolls over and suddenly they're face to face, eye to shades.
Megaman's eyes widen in surprise.
"...We have to go tomorrow and put a stop to the robot masters," Blues addresses him seriously. "There's too much at stake to let them keep storming through the city."
"I know...but you heard what the doctor said...if you're still recovering, it wouldn't be good for you to put yourself in danger."
"... I'm durable. But some of those people out there aren't. They need help."
"...sometimes you just don't make sense," Rock murmurs, meeting his gaze with a thoughtful expression.
"...why?"
He looks aside. "You were the one who told me that you're all you have."
"…." This makes Blues look away too, his lips twisting into a….sheepish expression?
Rock smiles and takes his brother's hand. "I knew you didn't really mean that."
...Sometimes I do. ...But there are people out there worth it. You've just got to choose wisely who it is you're willing to put it on the line for."
"Then who's worth it to you?"
Blues stares at the ceiling. "….The innocents who can't protect themselves."
"...I think so too."
"..." Protoman considers rolling back over.
"I used to think we were nothing alike..." Rock continues. "But you prove me more wrong the longer I get to be around you."
"…." Blues reaches a hand over and pets Rock's head. "Well... you've proved me wrong a few times too."
"Yeah?"
Blues gives a nod, accidentally head-bumping his brother due to their proximity.
"How so?"
But the red bot doesn't answer. Blues continues quietly stroking the bangs away from his brother's eyes. And gradually he begins to drift off, still close to Rock. As he does, he moves his arms around the younger boy in a sleeping embrace.
Rock closes his eyes and smiles. Even if he doesn't get an answer, Rock is beyond happy as he drifts off as well.
"...I love you, Blues."
"...dummy," the older bot murmurs. But before Rock can look too upset, his brother gently presses his lips to his forehead.
Rock blinks in surprise. But smiles.
"Night."
^u^ "Night!"
Blues stays wrapped around Rock and hums slightly as he drifts to sleep. He has zero problems hugging this cinnamon roll through the night.
And the cinnamon roll has no problems being hugged.
END OF CHAPTER
I know... it's been close to two years... I'm not consistent. I got tired of editting through phone and skype logs. I left some emojis in there because it's easier (and cuter if you ask me) than trying to type out every expression. But hey... at least it's a large chapter, right? If ya hate them or something let me know and I'll see about doing better but honestly... yeah.
Can't promise I'll do any better with consistent uploads in the future. I tend to work in spurts.