Note for this fic: This is a Slow Burn fic. Lots of introspection, stream of consciousness writing (all dem hipster stuff). Each chapter's point of view rotates between Netto and Enzan. So this one will focus on Netto, next one will focus on Enzan, the third on Netto, and so forth.

This based more on the games than the anime (I miss snarky Netto from the first three games) but I think the anime fleshed out some of the characters more so I'll be borrowing bits and pieces from both.

This was inspired by Neko-Salosa's Work and Play, which is a really good and fluffy fic on their lives as adults. I guess you can say this one is a lot more angsty in comparison. The tl;dr of it is that Enzan and Netto are trying to start things over again.

This started as a writing experiment back in college (god knows why I even thought of writing an MMBN fic - even then, the fandom was practically dead). For some reason, I keep coming back to this so if you ever find yourself reading this again, you'll notice I edited out some of the author's notes from before. It's funny because I think I can actually wrap this fic up in two to three chapters. Do I have plans to finish this fic? Who knows!

(Prelude)

This was a romance of selfishness and sacrifice, of pretension and honesty, of misery and false hope.

This wa a story of love (or lack thereof).

But maybe now... things can turn around again.

"Ah! Rockman!" Netto yells as he snaps his magnetic skates on his shoes. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"I did, Netto-kun. You wouldn't wake up," Rockman replies. He sighs a bit exasperatedly. "Honestly. You're an adult now! You should be waking up on your own."

"But what good are you in the morning if you don't wake me up?" he asks, his voice hinting his annoyance, but he doesn't mean to offend. Rockman just rolls his eyes in good humor – not that Netto could see that. The PET is in the holster.

Netto hurriedly makes his way out of the apartment, skating through the streets easily since there aren't many people outside yet. It is still early in the morning, and Netto hardly sees anyone he has to avoid bumping into.

"And I'm twenty-three. That hardly constitutes as being an adult."

"Yes it does, Netto-kun."

The morning air is colder than usual because of the coming winter, but Netto doesn't mind. It helps keep him awake for the rest of the way. The sun has risen, but it isn't high enough to warm his skin because there is still a splash of darkness hanging above his head – slowly disappearing by the consuming orange. There are still remnants of stars in the sky, but they vanish one by one near the horizon.

Netto shivers in the cold air.

"Alright Rockman, why do I have to wake up so early again?" he asks, fishing the PET out so he can see his navi. "And can I please stop by at the café near SciLabs? I'm hungry as hell. You know I can't work without breakfast in my system." To add to his point, his stomach growls loudly.

Rockman chuckles.

"You have to run a few post-tests to make sure you've debugged the program correctly," Rockman explains. He opens a few windows and enlarges the one that contained the email his Operator neglected to read. "See? They want to see the program running before the meeting starts, which is at 8 by the way. And yes, you can run by the café. But only take outs, Netto-kun. You know what happens if you stay there too long."

"What? Did they push the meeting an hour early?" Netto frowns, rubbing his eyes to rid them of sleep.

Well, yeah, he isn't really worried about the program. He could say with confidence that it was working perfectly last night. And even if it's still buggy (which is ridiculous because he checked), he's sure it's presentable enough for the meeting later. He could always debug it afterwards; the deadline isn't until in four days anyway.

The directors just want to see the progress so far, and they expect the program to be near completion – if it wasn't already. He still had time before they could sign the contract.

Damn contractors. They don't seem to understand that the frontend of the program isn't nearly as important as the backend.

"I'm afraid so. And anyway, I told you that yesterday!"

"You did?"

"Yes, Netto-kun. You weren't listening, were you?"

Netto laughs. "Oh come on, Rockman! I still wake up late, and I skate to SciLabs even though I can take the bus. And I still procrastinate through deadlines. What did you expect?"

When Netto emerges from the café, the sky is already a mixture of pale blue, pink and a hint of orange; with rays of sunlight peeking out from the clouds. There are hardly any stars outside anymore. The air is still cold, and dewdrops fall one by one from the grass blades in the nearby park. Netto stretches his arms and breathes in the fresh air.

"The sunrise sure is fast," he comments. "It was hardly even morning when we left the house."

"Which means you're really running late, Netto-kun," Rockman says in a bossy tone. "Please hurry up. Diether-san is waiting for you."

"Alright, alright." Netto laughs. He knows he shouldn't argue when Rockman is using his 'business' voice. He'd never admitted it to his navi, but he's glad that Rockman's responsible side makes up for his childishness. He doesn't really know how he'd survive in the adult world without Rockman.

He snaps on his skates and wears his lab coat before heading out. He doesn't feel awkward skating around the streets like that. It actually makes him feel more professional than he ever did, bright red rollerskates aside.

Besides, he'd get a hearing if he walks inside the lab without it. He's still a bit forgetful, after all.

"Rockman, how late are we anyway?"

"Fifteen minutes, Netto-kun. Thirty if you keep skating at that pace."

"Fine, I'll skate faster then."

He stops abruptly.

Rockman tilts his head. "Netto-kun? What is it?" he asks in a concerned tone.

Netto doesn't reply. He stiffens on the spot, staring blatantly at the person in front of him (who doesn't seem to notice he is being stared at). His hands start to feel cold and sweaty, and his heart beats fast (faster) for the first time in years. His chest tightens. His mouth couldn't find words to speak.

Memories flood through him like a hurricane, but his mind is blank for the most part. Feelings he buried in the deepest recesses of his heart prick his soul slowly, reawakening promises he killed so long ago. He scarcely remembers hearing Rockman's worried calls against the beat beat beating in his chest. He breathes in deeply. Really, why is getting so worked up about this? It's like high school all over again.

He swallows thickly and composes himself.

He couldn't believe this man still had that effect on him. Even after all these years.

He smiles.

"Enzan!" he calls, waving his hand to get the young man's attention. Said man turns his head with startled eyes.

There's no mistaking it. Blue eyes and dual-toned hair pasted on pale skin. That lithe frame.

Those thin lips he used to-

The man's eyes softened.

Netto curses quietly in his heart.

That-

Pretty.

Little.

Thing.

"Netto," the man whispers, his voice barely an echo against the slow hum of the city noise.

And Netto's heart jumps, skipping a beat in his chest, as cliché as it sounds.

Really. It was high school all over again.