Inbox: Mask or Menace

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"You've reached the comms device of Megaman.EXE. I'm not available at the moment, so please leave a message and I will respond as soon as I am able! Thank you!"

Comments

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You tried to force me to talk about it, and you pinned me so I couldn't get away!

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I asked! I was worried! And - and like there's any way I could pin you in your own comm when you know way more about being data than I do--!

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That's not what my combat systems thought!

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[ Hiro's anger is draining into confusion and mild alarm. ]

I can't hurt you! I'd never hurt you!

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I know that, but it doesn't make you any less threatening when you act like it!

[There's a reason Megaman doesn't like being trapped by people bigger than he is, and it's that he can't escape or retaliate if he needs to. It doesn't matter who's doing it, because his combat programming doesn't care. Hiro is bigger than he is, he was trying to keep Megaman in place, he was being a source of distress; therefore Hiro was A Threat that had Megaman completely at his mercy, and that's not an analysis that he'll ever not be scared of.]

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[ Hiro, meanwhile, is flabbergasted - and horrified by the very idea of it. He's been smaller than everyone for so long that he can't conceive of actually being taller than someone, much less threatening.

He shrinks back from Megaman - literally reimagining himself smaller in the digital space, closer to Megaman's height. As someone who'd been bullied endlessly as a kid, had been scarred by the terror of facing bullies even when it wasn't followed up by physical violence. This time, his apology is quiet and heartfelt. ]

I'm sorry. I didn't realize - I'm sorry.

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[He sighs, soundless, and glances up. He's still upset that Hiro pushed him to talk and isn't apologizing for it, but he's at least acknowledging he'd done something wrong.]

Well, at least you get it now.

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[ He keeps curling in on himself, his gaze focused downward as he continues to hold himself away from Megaman. He'd only wanted to know. Clearly he hadn't considered how Megaman might feel about it. ]

Do you want me to leave?

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[Clearly not. He's quiet for a bit, looking Hiro over.]

...are you going to act like that again?

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[ He shakes his head, hard. ]

'course not. I - I don't want to make you feel like that ever again.

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Then you can stay.

[He gently nudges Hiro with a foot. They've both had enough moments of thinking the other hated them, he's not going to start another one.]

...you know, Tadashi's the only person I've ever told.

[That means exactly what it sounds like.]

[microbrobotics]

[ That gets Hiro to look up, finally. With a slight wince - Megaman hadn't told him, had he? Hiro had just forced it out. ]

Because of him being dead? And a big brother?

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[Megaman just nods quietly. There's more to what he meant, but...he's not sure he can say it. There's so much emotional baggage there, and honestly he's still not entirely sure how he feels about it, let alone how to explain.]

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[ This time, Hiro senses the discomfort in Megaman's silence and doesn't push. He fluffs up a bit of data to sit on and lowers himself down onto it. ]

Do you want to talk about it?

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[He looks away, curling in on himself a bit. This time, at least, is less a case of not wanting to talk and more of not knowing how.]

I...I really haven't told anyone else. Not ever.

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[ He nods slowly. ]

Just - just tell me if you want to.

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[He's quiet for a moment, miming a deep breath.]

N-not...not even L-Lan.

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[ Hiro's eyes widen at that. ]

But - I thought you told him everything.

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[He shakes his head.]

I-I couldn't do it. I just...I was scared.

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... It would be scary. That kind of thing.

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I...I wanted to, but...he thought I was normal. Mostly normal. And I...I liked it. He cared about me anyway.

[It meant that he knew that Lan cared about Megaman, not just Hub, and he didn't want to lose it.]

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Without knowing you were his brother?

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Yeah. I was just a navi to him...but I was his navi. [He smiles.] The "best birthday present ever."

[There is so much fondness in his voice when he says it - he's genuinely happy that Lan thinks of him like that. Being Lan's navi means just as much to him as being his brother does, and Lan caring about him as a navi means even more.]

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[ Hiro can't suppress a shudder of horror. He's picturing being presented to Tadashi like some thing, with him having no idea of Hiro's real identity ... ]

Was that ... good?

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Of course! I'd been so afraid he wouldn't even like me, and then he went and said that. I couldn't have been happier.