The Time Stopper

Flash sighed.

> I’ve been negligent again, I see. Perhaps I should start taking courses on time management, or seek therapy for workaholism. I’m not sure which yet, if either.

> I’m sure I can get you something that doesn’t require social interaction with the rest of the army, though you might have to speak to Josephine a bit. She’s gotten more active lately.

> Sorry to put it on you, though.

OUTGOING MESSAGE: [DWN-011] TO [DWN-014]

>          Have you been cooped up in your office again?  I’ve noticed distinctly more fire in less-populated areas, and we both know what that means. >          If you need any workload done you can hand it off to me. I went out for twenty minutes to get Key some McDonalds and that’s enough social interaction for me for the next three months.

> I've been negligent again, I see. Perhaps I should start taking courses on time management, or seek therapy for workaholism. I'm not sure which yet, if either.

> I'm sure I can get you something that doesn't require social interaction with the rest of the army, though you might have to speak to Josephine a bit. She's gotten more active lately.

“I’m… I’m not upset,” He mumbles, though the rabbit ear-like antennae are still firmly drooped. It’s the truth at least– He’s not upset. He’s just worried. Why won’t Flash just tell him what’s up? He can’t fix it if he doesn’t know what’s going on… Then again, it might not be something so easily fixed in the first place. 

Metal shifts slightly, as though having been about to move but decided against it– He really wants to give his brother a hug. But would that be inappropriate? He occasionally hugs their father, but… Would Flash not like it? The DWN in red shifts once more, before deciding on going for it anyways– If Flash doesn’t want to be hugged, then he’ll let go. 

After he’s wrapped his arms around his brother’s waist, Metal finally speaks once again, “Okay… A-and it’s fine! Really, I’m not upset– I just– You work too hard. You should take a break more often… We could go out sometime? That is, if you want… It’s easier to get things done after clearing your mind for a bit. A-at least, that’s what I’ve noticed… Perhaps we could take Key to see a movie, or something… I think he’d enjoy the excursion, don’t you?”

Metal thought his brother too formally. Flash may be a commander and manager of Dr. Wily's army and increasingly becoming a genius in his own rights, but he was still his sibling. Being reminded that he was at least a little more than a sentient machine who was a large driving force behind Wily's forces was something he needed as of late, especially since he couldn't seem to convince himself of that anymore. The embrace was returned somewhat tightly without any hesitation, and he held his brother like he'd never be able to again.

"A lot of you have been saying that lately," Flash said, his voice dry despite his attempt to have some humor in his tone. It wasn't something everyone had just started saying recently either, as this had been going on for years. It was only now that everyone in his line seemed to be more determined to get their eldest sibling out of the lab and doing things again. They wanted things to be the way it used to be, and quite frankly, so did Flash.

That was the thing; Flash didn't think things could ever be the same. There was no changing what he did, there was no turning back on what he had done. All he could do was weather it out, much like he did with any adversity that came his way. He was capable of handling the guilt of his crimes on his own, and it was his own fault for not being strong enough to at least put on a better appearance.

"I can find the time if you want to do something together, so whenever you want to do it would be fine with me. Should I contact Key and see if he'd be up to a movie...?"

Considering he usually acted as a sort of assistant to their father, anyways, helping Flash with his work wouldn’t be too difficult! …Less chance of a tantrum should whatever he was working on not quite go as planned, too. As much as Metal adores his father, he has to admit that the man could probably stand to mature… Just a little bit.

He takes the conversation as an invitation to fully enter the lab, though doesn’t come in very far. “Yes; Apparently the original plan was to build them both together, much like the Light twins. But with not enough resources, the support model – Piano – had to be put aside. I’m not sure how or where Forte found her plans, but he’s very keen on having her around soon and Master Wily agreed to build her if Forte can get all the parts he needs. I’ll probably suggest you check over her coding before she’s activated, though– We don’t need a second battle crazy SWN running around the fortress. …Er, if that’s alright with you? I’d hate to pile more work on you.”

Admittedly the thought of having a younger sister amidst all these brothers is… A nice one. Metal’s surprisingly looking forward to it. There’s the copy robot duo, but given the amount of issues and glitches with that line it’s difficult to to really get close– Besides, father doesn’t consider them his kids. 

“So nothing’s getting old or in need of replacing? Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Let me know when the time comes and I’ll take care of it.”

Finally, they settle on the topic of whatever had been bothering Soprano and Rhythm. His older brother’s eyes narrowing at him cause the antennae on Metal’s helmet to droop and he redirects his gaze at the ground, not liking being looking at in such a way. Part of him has a gut feeling that Soprano is lying, but he’s hesitant to approach the subject now– The first DWN had always been rather timid, and this really isn’t helping. “…I-if you’re sure… You know you can always talk to me… Uh, if you need it, r-right? I won’t judge or gossip… I’m just… Worried. B-but I’m glad Rhythm’s alright…”

Flash hadn't meant to upset his brother, and so his expression softened considerably. He let out a sigh and rubbed his temples, trying to curb his frustrarion. "You don't have to leave unless you want to, Alto. I'm sorry if I upset you... you're not what's bothering me, it's just..."

"... Everything else," Flash said with another sigh, looking down himself. He didn't really want to elaborate on what this 'everything else' was, but he wanted to make sure his brother knew it wasn't him he was angry at.

"Rhythm should be checked up on more regularly, but apart from that, I think he'll be fine. There isn't anything going on between us, either." Nothing he wanted to talk about, anyway.

“It sure doesn’t seem like it… Is there anything I could do to help? Fetch you a cup of tea or coffee, perhaps? Um… On second thought, coffee seems like a bad idea given the time.”

Metal laughs softly, leaning against the door to his older brother’s lab. “I’m alright… I’ve been a bit busy helping Master Wily prepare for his latest project– Have you heard? It seems we’re getting a little sister; Forte discovered blueprints for a SWN-002, and practically begged for her to be built. I believe her name was Piano? So I’ve been taking inventory of what tools he has that need replacing and going over what we already have as far as parts for her go. I should do the same for your tools soon, actually… It’s getting to be about that time.”

Flash raised a brow, now curious since he had been out of the loop. "Really? He wants to build another child?" He knew first hand that Wily had pretty much given up on having more kids, with Forte being an exception. He didn't realize there had been another one he planned on building, and he didn't think his father would go through with it anyway. "Don't worry about my tools, everything's where it should be."

... Which wasn't entirely true, but Flash knew where everything was, so that counted. He'd organize it all later.

Flash could feel the shift in the conversation, which was further marked by Metal's use of his civilian name. His eyes narrowed a bit, and for some reason he felt a bit defensive. Why wouldn't he be okay? He knew he wasn't, but he didn't want to sit here and have this sort of conversation with Metal. He opted instead to focus on Rhythm, who was more important anyway.

He can tell there’s more to this than Flash is letting on, but… Does he really have the right to push so hard after his brother bailed him out again? Quick sighs, averting his gaze. Maybe… Not now. Not after coming this close to death and just barely escaping. He’d get his way and have Flash open up eventually, but for now…

“Yeah, maybe, but at least you took breaks before that stupid plot. You had hobbies, like photography n’ junk.” He says finally, determined to break through somewhere, somehow, “Like I said, now it’s like y’ live in here. Do you even sleep or take time t’ recharge? Maybe people wouldn’t be able t’ pick up where you left off as far as robotics go, but like– We can help you with the other stuff. I know Metal’d be more than happy to detach himself from dad’s side if it meant giving you a hand, n’ so would the rest of us! D’you think it’s fair makin’ us watch you waste away in here all by yourself?! Flash, you’re more than just a worker drone! You’re a person, and it’s not healthy to be cooped up like this all the time! Y’ gotta see the sun and get some air once in a while…. A change of scenery does wonders, even if it’s only for like an hour or two… The more you bury yourself in this dumb lab the less happy you’re gonna be and someday you’re just gonna overload like I did and it might be bad enough to kill you!”

It was only when Quick brought up the possibility of him suffering an emotional overload just like he had that his irritation dissipated and his expression became... almost neutral.

Flash wasn't an idiot. He had been observing his own processor and I.C. chip operations, and they were running at full capacity almost all the time. Thanks to this, a number of his components had to be replaced daily, as they had quickly wore out due to how overloaded he was. It wasn't just the work he was doing, it was also his own difficulty in handling things that was making him run so hard for long periods of time. He knew it wasn't good for his systems to be on the brink of an overload all the time, nor for him to be changing parts every day, but he hadn't gotten around to meaningfully addressing the issue. He kept putting it off, prioritizing other things over his own health, and most of what was causing it wasn't something he could fix on a repair table anyway. He believed it to be his own fault for that, and he wasn't going to boost his processing capabilities just so he could withstand the additional stress that he would inevitably create for himself. He either had to deal with it on his own or face the consequences, and Quick had no idea how right he was when he had said that it was possible Flash could break down from this. It was probably better if he was left unaware of it.

"... I'm sorry too," Flash said with a sigh. "I didn't mean to worry you or anyone else with my behavior. I wanted to do everything I could to make everyone else happy and safe... I don't think I succeeded in that." If Quick was anything to go by, he didn't do all that well in his goal. "If it helps any, I'm not entirely unhappy, just..."

Flash didn't hate his work, but he wasn't all that happy either. His work was a bit of a shield from the outside world, one which he rarely wanted to leave. If he wasn't doing something, whether it was sit here and try to console Quick or monitor activity on an abandoned base to check for intruders, then he felt... empty. Cold. Worthless, even. If he wasn't being a leader or an older brother, then what was he doing? He was nothing more than a processor loaded to the brim with how to make and maintain some of the most complicated robots and machines of this age attached to a weapon. He needed to do something to fulfill that role, and if he didn't...

"... I guess I'm not really happy either." Flash didn't want to admit it to anyone, not even himself, but he couldn't recall a time he was genuinely happy. That wasn't to say that his siblings didn't make him feel happy, but the feelings always left the moment they were gone. Those 'hobbies' Quick mentioned, such as photography, had lost their appeal long ago. As much as he loved his brothers and as happy as they could make him, the joy of being with them and doing things had faded with time. Nothing brought him the same amount of happiness that it used to, and he couldn't understand why.

Sighing, Flash sat down and crossed both his arms and legs, looking down and away from Quick. He had to choose his words carefully, as he didn't want his sibling to worry about him much further, nor did he really wish to talk about it. His health wasn't Quick's problem, and he wasn't going to let him make it his problem now, not after all these years.

Flash was quiet for some time, not sure he wanted to open up at all. What was he going to say? That he didn't take breaks anymore because when he did, almost all he did was stare blankly at a wall or ceiling? That his cameras were collecting dust in a storage facility? That his photo albums had been discontinued some time after the reworking of Quint, and were also collecting dust alongside the cameras? Was there any point to saying these things, other than to make Quick worse, which was the exact opposite of what he wanted?

Somehow, listening to Flash try to reign in his own emotions makes this entire discussion even worse. He’s… Going to try and make this all about Quick, isn’t he? The DWN in red grimaces. He thought that this huge talk would be beneficial for both of them, not just for him–! What even would be the point, otherwise?

He’s aware someone else would have carried out the mission if he hadn’t. But someone else would have let Time Man die that day. Someone else would have completely shattered his best friend by slaughtering his baby brother, and Quick wouldn’t be able to do enough to truly help him get over that; He never would, there would never be enough to fill the void of a missing sibling– Of a linemate. 

“Y’ did enough in that mission as it was,” Quick mutters, “Don’t say you should’ve done this, too– N’ don’t apologize! It’s not like it was your fault. The old man gives the word, and it’s not like we can say no… Y’ said it yourself. ‘S not that I’m upset about really, I guess… ‘S that no matter what I do, I’m not gonna be able to fix it. I can’t even make it less awful for the poor kid. I can’t make anything I’ve screwed up less awful, or fix it, or… I’m sorry I’m such a screw up, Flash. You all deserve better.”

He goes quiet for a minute, before attempting to steer the conversation from himself. “…Y’ haven’t been taking all of this as well as you act either, have you? Y’ didn’t throw yourself into your work as much before all this started. Now seein’ you outta the lab is like seein’ a fish outta water. If you wanna get some stuff off your chest, I… Can listen, if y’ want? I know I’m the one who nearly fried himself… And it’s me of all people in the first place, but y’ look like you could use it.”

Well, Flash may not have held any grudge against his sibling any longer, but he was still a little hurt over the situation. It was hard to get over the burn of being betrayed like that, but that wasn't the point, nor was that Quick's problem. He needed to patch himself up and move on already, and the fact that he hadn't was his own fault, not his brother's.

"Everyone messes up. What makes you different from being a 'total screw up' is that you got up and tried again, and you did better. Much, much better."

Flash didn't even consider opening up too much to his brother. As much as he hurt more over that than just about anything else, he didn't think he could open up to anyone about it. There was so much baggage that he felt it unfair to unload it onto someone else, even if just a little bit. He wouldn't even know where to start, and honestly? He didn't know if Quick could handle it. He nearly fried himself due to an emotional overload, how could Flash believe that he'd be able to take knowing how much his older brother was hurting? Steeling himself, he kept his expression rigid, stuffing down any distress he was expressing earlier.

"I appreciate the offer, Quick, but I can assure you I'm fine. I may be busy, but that doesn't mean I'm any less alright. I just have more things to do, and one of those things is make sure you're okay. I can handle my own feelings well enough. I'm sorry I didn't intervene earlier."

Flash found it hard to maintain eye contact with his sibling, his optics dilating a bit when Quick had looked at him. It was unexpected, but nothing he couldn't handle.

…Geez, the overload had been that bad? Quick has the good grace to wince and look appropriately bothered by the news, though in all honesty he’s not really surprised. It’s not like he’d been running for a few months. It had been years since this plan in particular; Years of shoving all the emotional data related to it into this little compartment in the back of his processor— And that went double whenever Mega Twerp showed his face around Light Labs if he was over. With that much time between him and the incident, it was only a matter of time, Quick supposes.

What does surprise him is how Flash is reacting to the whole situation. He’s seen his brother annoyed and angry with him before — that was frequent back when they were both fresh off the repair table post-beating by the kid — but usually it was in reference to something Quick had done to him; Never what Quick was doing to himself. 

And as much as Quick isn’t really willing to sit down and have this huge therapy session with Flash of all people — ironically, the one person he actually could — he’s not seeing much choice here. Flash would probably keep him in place until he admitted to something, after all…

“Heh, and to think at one point years ago you probably would’ve gotten the popcorn and watched me go,” he murmurs, more to himself more than anything. As little as he showed it, the DWN in red was glad his relationship with Flash had improved so much over the years, “I just… Yeah. You’re right— This… This has taken a pretty big toll on me, I guess. I— Don’t even know where to start, Flash. I mean, that whole thing was so messed up, and— And—”

He lets out a shaky sigh, hands gripping the table ever so slightly. “At least… At least I saved Time Man. That’s… Probably the only thing I’m glad I did in a long time. Can you imagine how upset Oil would’ve been if his little brother died…? I— Ah.”

He pauses, willing the pink to die down from his cheeks and quickly switches topics. This was about Quint, not his mess of a love life. Granted, this whole adventure had taken its toll on his feelings for the DLN, too. He could never confess now, could he? Not with this looming over him like a dark cloud… Suppose Oil found out someday about how he’d ruined a future version of his younger brother’s life? Everything would be over in the blink of an eye, and… After how long they’d been friends, Quick wasn’t sure how he’d be able to handle it.

“I just— Flash, I was married in that future,” Quick finally manages, “The kid was my brother-in-law. And I did that to him…? It… It doesn’t sit right, the fact that I lured him outta there with that connection, not when… Well. I… Ruined his life, more importantly, and for what? Nothing, the plan failed anyways. And all those people back in his time are suffering, and— And— We can’t fix it. No matter what we do, it’s all over for them. For him. Flash, they all seemed so happy in that time… Dad had everything he ever wanted. He was respected. He was loved by everyone. And I— I ruined that, and I can’t DO anything to fix it—! I…”

The younger of the brothers finally buries his face in his hands, taking a deep, synthetic breath. “I ruin everything I touch, don’t I…? It’d be better for everyone if I hadn’t been created. Better for you, better for our brothers, better for the kid… I’m— I’m such an as— Jerk. I’ve always been, and it’s all I’m ever gonna be, isn’t it?”

"I wouldn't go so far as to say my life would be at all better if you were never created. Less noisy, maybe, but not better," Flash sighed as he scratched his head a bit. "You're an important part of my life, and it's hard to see how it would have improved, in the long run, if you weren't here."

"You're placing a lot of blame on yourself for something you couldn't really help. We... we had orders. We couldn't defy them. I... I tried, Quick... I swear I did. I didn't want to give you the order, I didn't want you to do it. I... I wish I was more convincing so you wouldn't..."

Flash stopped, steeling himself from having too emotional a response. This was about Quick, not him. It was never about him, all he was concerning himself with was Quick. How he felt was his own issue, and he wasn't going to burden his already overburdened sibling with that.

"The thing is... Dr. Wily isn't the most thoughtful of people. He was willing to ruin lives for that scheme, he has betrayed Dr. Light more times than is worth counting, he held Kalinka's live over Dr. Cossack's head so he would work for him, and that's just the beginning. Even if you defied him, if you could... you wouldn't have gotten anywhere." 'I would know.' "It's not you... it never was you. Someone else would have had to carry out that mission if you couldn't..."

'It should've been me.'

"... And I wish I had done it instead of you."