“you didn’t make me uncomfortable. it was…” when he tried to explain it, he found himself at a loss for words. it was what? what was he trying to say? he felt like his systems were overloading trying to find the correct term. what had he been feeling? nervous? anxious? he supposed those words fit, but it wasn’t exactly what he was looking for.
“i…cannot define what it was, but it wasn’t bad. perhaps it is because i haven’t gotten a hug in quite some time.” could he have glitched as a result of that? that was possible. he would talk with enzan about it later. he may be able to figure out what had happened. “you haven’t done anything wrong either, megaman.” he didn’t want him to blame himself.
when he pulled his hand away, protoman found himself feeling sad. once again, he was confused. it shouldn’t matter that megaman let go, so why was he bothered by it? when he saw megaman start to cry, he reached up to hold his face in his hands and rest his helmet against megaman’s. he felt that strange feeling once more–a flutter in his chest–but he did his best to ignore it. “you don’t need to apologize. i…i missed you as well. fighting without you…it was very different. i was used to you always being at my side. being able to see you again…it makes me happy too. there was nothing wrong with what you did. i mean it.”
he felt a bit better hearing protoman say he wasn’t uncomfortable. in fact ... maybe he liked it? or maybe that was wishful thinking. but megaman had learned protoman’s mannerisms over the years and that was what it sounded like he was trying to say. even if protoman himself didn’t know what he was trying to say. normally, megaman would’ve teased him about it, but he was still afraid of overstepping a boundary or risking protoman figuring out megaman’s feelings that went far beyond an alliance.
“ that’s a relief ... the last thing i want is to harm your or your reputation - ”
just as he said that, he felt protoman’s hands on his face and his helmet against his. his eyes snapped up, surprised that protoman had acted so intimately all of a sudden. he felt the familiar feeling of his breath being taken from him, and his heart pounding in his chest -- but he didn’t have a heart anymore.
no, this was fine. everything was fine. protoman was saying things that at one time he thought he’d never hear from him. he spoke so softly, with such warmth in his voice that he was sure only few people knew. they were so close, they could kiss. if megaman moved just a few centimeters closer, their lips would meet. he had to hold back the urge with all his might, and in that attempt, he pulled protoman close to hug him tightly ( the very thing he’d been upset about only a few minutes prior ).
“ i was lonely ... ” he mumbled onto protoman’s chest. he hadn’t realized it, but he was. sure, he had dozens of friends, but it was different. even if he and protoman didn’t really get to spend much time together unless it was because of work, megaman still treasured the time they spent together. ah, he really had to pull himself together. how much more pathetic could he get?
he pulled away after a moment, looking up at protoman with a grin. it wasn’t quite his normal smile, but it was close enough. at least he wasn’t panicking anymore. “ oh? not such an isolationist anymore, huh? ” that much was obvious -- when they first met, enzan hadn’t even operated his navi. but not long after they started interacting more, protoman fought not only alongside his netop but alongside megaman, too. “ could it be ... you’ve gone soft in my absence? ”