4:15AM - Alone...
4:30AM - Alone...
4:45AM - Alone...
As Net looked over at his clock, he let out a soft whimper. The sun would be rising in an hour. He was still trying to desperately hang on to hope, praying that Enzan would come by. Deep down, he knew it was too late for the other boy to be out, but there was still a slight chance....Wasn't there?
Rock and Blues had been watching over the whole ordeal from the desktop terminal. Every time the sick boy checked his clock, Blues' hands would ball up into fists. If Enzan
broke his promise, he would have to find a new controller. Rock, on the other hand, kept going back and forth between his controller and his lover, trying to cheer one up and
calm the other down. He was getting rather tired, too. Even Navis need to recharge from time to time.
5:00AM - Alone...
Net sighed softly, the tears unable to surface anymore. He had cried himself dry over the course of the night. Whispering an almost inaudible 'goodnight' to Rock, Net rolled onto his left side and let his eyes slip shut. He was, after all, still sick. And he needed his rest. Even if it meant dreaming about the one that would never love him. His attempts to drift off were interrupted numerous times by the coughing fits he been having.
Rock sighed as well, leaning against Blues. "Ne...Blues?" The red Navi turned his head. "...Do you think Enzan will come by today? I know it's too late right now, but..." A finger on his lips brought the blue Navi's sentence to an abrupt end. Blues turned, gazing out of the PET at Net. "...He will, if he's the person he thinks he is. And if he doesn't..." Rock placed a finger on Blues' lips this time. And, from around the red Navi's, murmured, "If he doesn't, we'll have to find a way to GET him to." With that, Rock kissed Blues' fingertip and turned, resting his head against his lover's shoulder.
- - -
5:15AM - Alone...
- - -
"Promise me..."
"I can't..."
"But why...?"
"Because. I simply don't love you."
"..."
"Please don't cry..."
"..."
"...I tried..."
"..."
"Stop...please, stop..."
- - -
Net jerked awake, his breathing ragged. Whimpering into the silence of his room, he sat up and stared off over the foot of his bed. More nightmares... the same ones... why wouldn't they just go away? Why did they plague him? Another soft whimper, accompanied by a sob, brought about a new flood of tears from the boy's eyes. Burying his face in the pillow he had been clutching all night, and in between the sobs, he whispered, "You promised... you promised me already... you can't break a promise. You can't... you can't leave me... I don't want to be alone again..."
"Hitori ja nai..."
"Yes I am! I..." Net paused in his crying to look up. That wasn't Rock's voice. And it wasn't as deep as Blues'. Turning his head, he found himself gazing into a pair of striking blue eyes. A pair of eyes which, upon closer inspection, were full of regret. A moment
of silence passed before Net's eyes welled up again. He lowered his head to the pillow and murmured, "Not again... no more nightmares... I can't take this again... I can't..."
The boy was cut off as a pair of cold arms were wrapped around his midsection. The arms, in turn, pulled the sick young man back against the considerably warmer body of the older boy. Net opened his eyes again, gazing up at Enzan. "...Heartbeat?" Enzan smiled wanly, whispering in response, "I'm no dream. And I'm sorry for causing all of your nightmares." Net whimpered softly. If this was a dream, he hoped he would never wake up...
Net's arms slowly moved around Enzan's body. With a bit of a shiver, Net frowned, "You're cold." The older boy sighed, "Hai. It's a bit nippy out there...gomen, Net." Net smiled sleepily, letting his head lean against Enzan's left shoulder. "Daijoubu, Enzan... I'll just have to warm you back up." A moment passed, and Net spoke again, "Ne, Enzan?"
"Hm?"
"This is real...right? I'm not dreaming...?" Enzan sighed quietly, holding the younger boy close. "Iie. You're awake. ...I'm sorry for making you wait. I...had a lot of things to think about. But, thankfully...with a little help from a friend, some sense finally got through." He smiled sadly, running a hand through Net's soft, brown hair. "...I'll make it all up to you."
Net's cheeks flushed, and for the first time that day, it wasn't from the flu. Net squeaked quietly, then whined, "Oh no... Enzan, I have the flu, remember? You're gonna get sick as well if you stay close to me!" Enzan chuckled softly, kissing Net's forehead lightly
and whispering, "I'll take care of you till you get better. And if I get sick...you can return the favor." Net giggled in a tired sort of way, snuggling up against the older boy. "I like that idea..."
Enzan yawned softly and, coincidentally, Net did as well. The two blinked at each other afterwards, both smiling. Enzan had Net let go of him briefly, and he removed his jacket. Net tilted his head, and Enzan explained, "Can't hold you with this thing on. Too hard
to sleep in." Net blushed faintly... which turned a brighter shade when the skunk-haired boy laid down beside him, slipped under the covers, and murmured for him to lay down as well. Net nodded, letting his body practically flop back down. Enzan murmured, "Now
then...we need sleep. I know you probably wanted this to end with us gazing at the sun as it rose, but frankly, Net..."
Net smiled softly and finished, "...but we've both been up all night, and I'm sick, so we both need our rest?" Enzan raised an eyebrow, but smiled in return. "Mhm." Net nodded, laying his head on Enzan's chest, nuzzling against it a little. Enzan, at that moment, was glad that the other boy couldn't see his face. The blush that had popped up didn't seem to want to leave. With another yawn, Net murmured out a 'goodnight' to Enzan before drifting off. Enzan smiled, stroking the younger boy's hair slowly. Almost as an afterthought, he then looked over towards Net's desk.
"Blues... thank you."
- - -
Rock sprawled out on the ground, laughing happily. Things had worked out after all! Blues just smiled down at him, watching the blue Navi show his relief. "It seems," the red Navi began, "That I managed to crack through his hard head after all." Rock sat back up, practically tackling Blues to the ground. He grinned, "There's a first time for everything. Ne, Blues?" And, before the red Navi could reply, Rock had pressed his lips
firmly against Blues'.
- - -
7:30AM: Sleeping soundly.
Haruka padded down the hallway toward her son's room. Yawning as she opened the door, she started to say 'good morning', but instead was met with quite the unexpected sight. There her boy was, on his left side, sleeping peacefully against the body of the Ijyuuin boy, who was also out cold. She stood there, blinking for a moment, before walking into the room further. Heading for the desk and removing Net's PET, she called for Rockman quietly. After a bit of hushed talking, Rock responded, popping onto the
PET's screen. "Hai? Oh...Mrs. Hikari..." Rock chuckled nervously, sneaking a glance towards the bed. "Uh...I see you found them..."
Haruka nodded, looking over her shoulder. "How long has he been here, Rockman?" Rock tilted his head, then replied, "Since about 20 after 5..." Haruka nodded once again and murmured, "I see..." She went silent for a moment, and Rock began to get nervous. "Aa...Mrs. Hikari, are you...okay with this? I mean, Net and Enzan..." To his relief, Haruka smiled. "Oh, I don't mind. I just wish Enzan-kun would've used the front door. I would've let him come up here to visit."
Another surge of relief flowed through Rock's body, and it showed. Haruka giggled softly, eyeballing the Navi. "Something wrong, Rockman?" Rock rubbed his neck and chuckled nervously. "Uh...no, no. I just kind of thought that you wouldn't understand." Haruka turned, leaning against the desk somewhat as she looked over at the slumbering pair. "I guess this explains why he seemed so upset last night, huh? Poor thing...I thought it was just the flu getting him down." The woman smiled again, "I don't mind, Rockman. As long as Net's happy, then I'm happy. What right do I have telling him who he should and shouldn't love? Love transcends gender... so if Enzan is the one he loves, then they have my support."
When she looked down at the screen, she noticed another Navi hugging Rock from behind. "Wha...Rockman, you and Enzan-kun's Navi...?" Rock turned as red as Blues' armor, whining softly, "It just kinda happened..." Haruka laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Oh, I swear... you two have always acted similar...I suppose I should've seen this coming." She plugged the PET back into it's terminal and smiled. "I'm going to go start breakfast for the boys. With any luck, Net will feel up to eating. Oh, and don't let Enzan-kun escape. I want to see the look on his face when I tell him that I was already in here." Rock nodded, a smile on his face as well. "Ryoukai."
As Haruka left the room, Rock leaned back against his lover. "It's been a long day." Blues nodded, holding Rock close and murmuring, "I hope it stays peaceful for awhile. I think I need a vacation." Rock blinked, looking at Blues over his shoulder. "...Why, Blues, was that an attempt at humor?" Blues scowled, "Not at all. I'm just saying - after dealing with Enzan-sama, my HEAD hurts." Rock blinked a few times, eventually
cracking up. Blues hmphed, "What's so funny, dammit?" Rock shook his head, chuckling softly. "Just you, itoshii. Just you." And with that, the blue Navi leaned up, gently pressing his lips against Blues'. And in turn, the red Navi wrapped his arms around Rock's waist, pulling him closer. When the kiss finally ended, Rock gazed up at his lover's eyes, which were clearly visible through his shades at such a close distance, and whispered, "Aishiteru..."
- - -
End
- - -
Author's Notes: Waaaa, fluff! Everyone loves fluff! Fluff is our friend! Well, this wraps stuff up. And sets up any WAFFy sequels I might want to crank out. I thought for awhile on whether or not I should have the boys waking up for the final scenes, but decided against it. They need their sleep, after all. Thanks for reading, minna. Hope it made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. ^^