#quakeblues

Tempo broke away from making out with Blues, and shot Bass a toothy grin. "It's not like we forced you at gunpoint or anything."

"Hmph."

"He's just jealous," Blues said, although he was teasing.

"Never."

He really should've known when no one else agreed to go along, even though this was exactly the sort of dorky activity that the Light family— the rest of the Lalinde's, for that matter— loved to do. It seemed that everyone had caught on to the fact that 'stargazing' was a flimsy excuse to do 'gross mushy romantic crap like smooch under the moonlight'. Everyone, that was… but Bass.

Which was a little annoying. Maybe more than a little annoying. He had so much trouble understanding these things that seemed to come naturally to others. It wasn't like he could blame it on being built for combat— because in Wily's desperation to replicate Dr. Light's success with Rock-slash-Mega Man, he'd been designed as a surrogate child first and a combat robot second. Bass should've had all the same non-combat abilities that his rival did.

Besides, many of the other Wily Numbers, inferior as they were, had demonstrated a capacity for attraction and romance. Even those that didn't understood it in a way that seemed just out of Bass' reach.

He couldn't entirely blame it on Wily, either. It might have made sense if Wily himself was uninterested in these matters. But the crotchety old man had ranted and raved about the topic just enough to make it clear— it wasn't that Wily lacked the desire for human partnership or physical intimacy, so much as he was too self-absorbed and indifferent to the needs of others to maintain any meaningful connection with someone else.

So, Bass found himself alone in this regard, having never felt so much as a tickle of attraction or romantic interest. The only thing he could possibly compare it to was his complicated feelings about his rivalry with Rock. Rock, who was a gullible, stupid, annoying, obnoxious optimistic do-gooder who somehow always got the best of him no matter how much stronger Bass was than him and it wasn't fair—

—Rock, who never stopped thinking of Bass as a friend even after he'd dropped the charade, who didn't want to fight anyone but especially not him, who was always thrilled when they had to work together and never failed to have his back, who always saw the best in him no matter how rotten Bass was towards him. Rock, who he'd been modeled after and was his reason for existing, which by default made him the most important person in Bass' life.

And as much as Blues had been a good friend and confidant… even guys like Duo, or Tempo, or Fan, or some of the more tolerable Wily Numbers (and DWN-adjacent)… none of them were as kind to him as Rock was. Aside from Roll, now that he thought about it. Roll, the sister Light 'bot, every bit as naïve and saccharine as her brother. In a lot of ways she seemed to represent what might have been if Rock hadn't had to become Mega Man. If anything, the lack of rivalry between her and Bass meant she could act on that kindness in ways that Rock couldn't. Secretly helping him with mods and repairs when Wily wasn't around, cheering him on when she maybe shouldn't have, offering support when even Blues'd officially Had Enough Of His Crap. She was also the only person to have the outright nerve to hug him, and he never quite had the heart to push her away, which meant she kept on doing it…

…Rock had come close, though. How many times Mega Man had approached with arms open, only to stop himself at the last second, knowing how much it would've pissed Bass off.

Lying there, thinking about the lack of romance in his world, a sudden and terrible realization struck him. Bass sat up like a shot and gave Blues and Tempo a frantic look.

"Guys. Um… does Roll… does she have a crush on me?"

"Oh, heck yeah."

"Duh."

"It's super obvious."

"You can see it from space."

Bass grimaced. Unable to help it, he thought about how Mega Man would've been just like his sister Roll if he'd never been upgraded.

"Does… does… Rock… have a crush on me?"

"Oh, heck yeah."

"Duh."

"It's super obvious."

"You can see it from—"

He hid his face in his hands. "Mother hacker— fricken' FORK BOMB! Why me!? Sonnuva glitch— ugh, why do I have a swear filter!? Nnnuuhhhh… What I am gonna do?"