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This was simultaneously Snake Man's greatest dream and worst nightmare.
The preface of the situation started months ago, if not longer. It was after the remaining DWNs as well as all of the current DLNs met all of the DCNs. Immediately, one Robot Master in particular caught Snake Man's eye, and made him feel things he didn't fully understand. Made him nervous, forced his chaotic nature to be squashed down into silence, lest he look bad in front of him. Snake Man found himself immobilized into silence in his presence. That Robot Master, was none other than Pharaoh Man.
At the same time, however, Snake Man had also encountered another Robot Master that caught his affection, only this one made him far less nervous. Toad Man. This one didn't make him feel like his wires were in knots, or that his jaw was glued shut, so Snake Man approached him instead, trying to get to know him better. Dr. Light thought that 'socializing' would 'help' with his reputation. The reputation of him being completely creepy. Which was intentional!!
It didn't take long, however, for Snake Man to become infatuated. He wanted to know more about Toad Man, he wanted to learn everything there was to know about him, he didn't want to talk to anyone else. Thus, for the next several months, Snake Man's free time would be spent using his Search Snakes and utilizing his ability to climb on walls and ceilings to do just that. To learn everything he could about Toad Man. It was an insatiable hunger for him, he wanted to express how much he cared for Toad Man, maybe that would persuade him to go out on a date with Snake Man!!
This, combined with his love for scaring people, would ultimately achieve the opposite. Toad Man became utterly terrified of him, and it wasn't until multiple of his brothers had gotten between him and Snake Man that Snake Man realized how his actions were seriously affecting Toad Man.
There was no apology. There was no goodbye. Snake Man just... Stopped. He abandoned the idea of romance with Toad Man, heartbroken and confused— up until Spark Man had explained everything to him. In trying to make Toad Man feel loved, appreciated, and protected, Snake Man drove him away. And Snake Man hadn't had the heart to approach the Cossacks again after that. Toad Man was grieved, and Pharaoh Man... well Snake Man knew he never had a chance with him to begin with.
Though, the thought still lingered. What did Pharaoh Man think of him? Surely nothing good, right? Was it possible Snake Man was wrong? He clung to that tiny hope, because truthfully, the idea of Pharaoh Man thinking of him so negatively shattered his ego: he'd not be able to take the confirmation.
However, when Dr. Cossack approached Dr. Light, and suggested that Pharaoh Man and Snake Man work together for a particular excursion, Snake Man was maybe a bit too quick to agree. He wanted to make things right with the Cossacks, and him approaching was the easiest way to do so. Prove that he can, in fact, be normal, and that he had actually changed his ways. He didn't care anymore about getting together with Toad Man, he just wanted to gain his trust enough to apologize. This was supposed to be the first step.
But unfortunately, one wrong move, and the two had fallen into a sinkhole that quickly caved in behind them. It was dark, and Snake Man's eyes would take a few minutes before properly adjusting, unlike Pharaoh Man's, who'd adjust in seconds.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Y-yeah, just fine- Aaah-!" Snake Man suddenly hissed as he tried to get up, only to realize the tail part of his helmet was trapped by something he couldn't see. He glared back at it, still trying to force his vision to adjust to the sudden darkness and make sense of what he couldn't see.
"Ah- your tail." Pharaoh Man inched closer, analyzing the debris around them. His touch was gentle and surprisingly soft and warm as he felt the edge of the rock and brushed Snake Man's trapped tail. Snake Man froze as he felt his wires metaphorically tie themselves in knots and his face heated up. For a moment, the only thing he could focus on was how close he was to Pharaoh Man, and as he'd begun to sweat from nerves, he sucked in a breath, and he could smell how earthy and sandy his scent was. It smelled good, in his opinion. "No good. It's packed too tightly." Pharaoh Man looked around, seemingly annoyed, which, of course, did not help Snake Man's nerves. "I suppose it's a good thing we don't need to breathe. It's airtight in here." Snake Man wanted to say something, but he just couldn't. By the time he'd managed to pry his jaw open, Pharaoh Man spoke again, "I guess we'd better get comfortable."
Another few moments pass before Snake Man can find it in him to speak.
"Does-s... Anyone know we're down here? Like, um, would they even think to look for us-s here?" Snake Man's eyes had adjusted well enough to properly watch Pharaoh Man's eyes widen. Even in the dark, Snake Man could easily identify the look as one of horror. Immediately, Pharaoh Man starts examining their rocky surroundings, trying to find some way of getting out, something, anything!! "Ah— wait a s-second." Snake Man cursed himself for stammering like a fool, but didn't dwell on it. He tried to sit up from the wall but, oh, right, oops! He was still held back by the rocks that pinned his helmet's tail down. Seemed like he was going to be stuck in this leaning position for a while.
Snake Man then felt around his immediate area, looking for a large enough crack for something. Finally, he found one just next to his right side, it wasn't quite big enough, but maybe it'd work!!
"Hey, there's a loos-se s-s-spot right here. Maybe we can...." He changed his arm to his buster to allow two Search Snakes to slither out. He spared them a second to pet them each a few times before sending them towards the crack he found. "You try contacting Dr. Cos-sack." Stop stammering you moron, he internally scolded himself, "I'll have the Search Snakes try to flag our location and flag s-someone down." Snake Man watched as his cute little creatures squirmed and writhed their mechanical little bodies against the hole. He got a bit nervous when he realized that they were, in fact, too big for the gap, but there wasn't anything else he could do.
"Pharaoh Man to Dr. Cossack. Do you read me?" Snake Man could see the panic building in his eyes, and assumed there was no response.
"Keep trying. Maybe they can hear you, and we can't hear them." He tried to speak calmly and in the most neutral way he could. He wasn't going to try and be a creep now. Not to Pharaoh Man. Never to Pharaoh Man. Pharaoh Man's eyes darted to Snake Man, then back to a random speck on the wall. Snake Man watched his snakes push themselves through the hole in the rocks.
"We— we got caught in a sinkhole. We are currently trapped, in these coordinates about 17.8 feet down below. The rocks are packed together too tight for us to get out unassisted." Despite his calm demeanor, Snake Man could tell he was freaked out. He wasn't sure what was the big tell for him, maybe the scent of fear, or the slight thickness to his Russian-Egyptian mixed accent. Either way, there was a pause to his words before— "N-nobody's responding!!"
"Okay, s-so, uh, calm down—"
"Hello?! Dr. Cossack?! An-anyone?!" The panic in his voice began to rise.
"Pharaoh Man!" Snake Man jumped at his own suddenness, because he'd honestly never had it in him to be so bold around the other. Now that he had his attention, Snake Man felt his face heat up again. "Relax. We're not going to die down here. Like you s-said, we don't need to breathe."
"In some ways, d-don't you think that's worse than death?! Being stuck down here and left to rot and rust?!" Snake Man suppressed a shiver at the thought; rust was not something he'd ever had experience with, but it just sounded incredibly painful.
"We'd... We'd run out of battery long before then."
"Is that supposed to help?!"
"I'm not good at this-s s-s-stuff, what do you want from me?!" Snake Man snapped, certain that his face was red with embarrassment. How could he snap at Pharaoh Man like that?!
Pharaoh Man sighed and looked away.
"S...sorry. I guess you're right. I've just... I don't like the idea of being buried alive like... Like this." Snake Man blinked in shock and awe. This wasn't the first time he'd met a robot that was afraid of something that was similar to what they do, his own late brother was afraid of his namesake!! "I can ignore it, because it's... Not a scenario that comes up often. Not something I often have to worry about. As you said, there are safeguards in place, there are things put into place that prevent that exact scenario, and yet...." Snake Man looked away, feeling a bit guilty now. It wasn't exactly clear what happened, it was a dark and convoluted path, but the one they took was not a booby trap of any kind, just a weak spot in the earth. It probably wasn't really anyone's fault, but Snake Man felt like it was his nonetheless. He should have been able to detect sooner.
Snake Man wanted to apologize, to express the guilt he felt, but he didn't know how to.
"I.. suppose it's my fault we're down here." Was that an apology? It was, right? He acknowledged his mistake. Pharaoh Man looked over at Snake Man, who was not at all looking at him. Pharaoh Man swallowed.
"I... I would not say that."
"I would. I mean, I'm a surveying robot, I'm supposed to—"
"Snake Man, it's alright, really. It doesn't have to be anyone's fault." That just made his core ache. Why was he being so nice? Snake Man did nothing to deserve it. In fact, he half expected cruelty, although he was hoping for neutrality.
"I... I guess-s I should, uh... S-s-see what the s-s-snakes are doing." He deflected, closing his eyes and concentrating.
The snakes writhed their way through the rock, but it wasn't easy for them. Their bodies were small, and it was still so dark. Snake Man couldn't feel for them, he didn't know what was up or what was down, so he just let them take control until eventually they managed to burrow through the dirt they'd fallen through. From there, he'd split the two snakes up, leaving one in its place to act as a flag, and sending the other back the way they'd come from, towards the campsite.
"They're back on the path," he explained, opening his eyes. "They know the way. We're not going to be stuck down here." Pharaoh Man sighed in relief. That made Snake Man feel a bit better as well. "S-so... Uh, what until then?" He asked, trying to sit up again after briefly forgetting about his tail situation again.
"Not much for us to do except wait." Pharaoh Man sighed, and Snake Man knew the other would be anxious until then. It'd take a while for the Search Snake to get back to the camp, and then even longer to lead them back to where they were, as they'd have to navigate the booby traps Pharaoh Man pointed out. Snake Man swallowed nervously, avoiding eye contact with Pharaoh Man. He really didn't know what to say.
The two stay in a less than comfortable silence for a few more moments. Pharaoh Man sat down after some time, but his leg shifted multiple times, signaling his discomfort. Snake Man wasn't doing much better though, he tried to avoid direct eye contact, but wasn't able to turn his head much, not without pulling on his helmet more. All the while he, personally, was nervous. Locked into a small space with someone who makes him feel anxious and yet weirdly happy, it was horrible. His wires felt tangled in knots and his core hummed loudly in his chest, and the longer he thought about it, the more he became aware of it.
"S-sorry, um," Pharaoh Man started, causing Snake Man to jump, "I just... D-do you mind if we, uh, fill the silence, some? Just so I can, uh, focus on something else?" Snake Man blinked, trying to unclench his jaw and speak in a timely manner. "All I-I can think about is Kalinka, an-and how upset she'd be if I—"
"Well s-stop thinking about it." He cut off curtly. "Think about things-s-s.... You like." Pharaoh Man swallowed, eyes darting away. Snake Man broke into a sweat again, fearing he screwed up. "Uh, like, um, what's-s-s your favorite, um, Egyptian god?" Oh lord, what was he thinking?! That was probably such a loaded question.
"Um," Pharaoh Man's voice snapped Snake Man out of his small spiral, "it- it's probably a bit too obvious, but I like Ra, the god of sun a lot. I think the way he's depicted is really interesting and looks, erm, cool."
"Oh? I'll be hones-st, I know jack about Egyptian gods-s, just like. Anubis-s is-s the god of death, and that's-s only becaus-se of a movie I watched once-ce." Darn, this stutter!! Go away, stop making him look like an idiot in front of Pharaoh Man!!
"Well, Ra is the creator of the sky and of earth, but he's most commonly referred to as the god of sun, whereas Horus was referred to as the sky god. Ra was usually portrayed as a falcon..."
Pharaoh Man rambled on about the god, but Snake Man wasn't listening. He couldn't. Despite being surrounded by darkness, there was a certain light to his eyes that took all of Snake Man's attention. His expression, which Snake Man had always found to be more mysterious, was suddenly filled with the light of joy. It made him feel... Warm. Happy. Snake Man felt... Lucky to be able to see this. He wanted to know more, not about Ra, but about Pharaoh Man, about what made him happy. What made him—
He suddenly had flashbacks to Toad Man. How scared he always looked. At the time, Snake Man took pleasure in that sort of dominance, making him feel that way, but looking back... It just hurt. He didn't want that for Pharaoh Man. He didn't want to make that mistake again; not with him. He shrunk back, tucking his legs into his chest uncomfortably. Why was he so scared? Him, of all people?! He was supposed to be the one scaring everyone else!!! Not!! Not the one being scared!!!
"I'm sorry. I'm boring you, aren't I?"
"Huh?!" Snake Man suddenly gulped, "No, no, of cours-s-s-se not!! I was-s-s-s jus-s-s-st..." He trailed off, panicking and scrambling to find a proper answer. One that wouldn't allude to Toad Man, someone he didn't want to talk about with his literal brother!! When he failed to find something, he just spewed something out— anything!! He'd lock up again if he didn't speak soon! "You're not boring me." He swallowed again. "That's-s the important thing."
"Maybe you should talk about yourself then?"
"Eh?" Snake Man felt his face heat up even more. "Why would you be interested in s-s-s-som— frickin'-!! Why are you interested in that?!" Pharaoh Man seemed a bit taken aback by Snake Man's genuine confusion. It only made Snake Man's panic worse, "I-I mean— Hahaha! That was-s-s-s a joke!! I jus-s-s-st, uh, don't think I find anything particularly intres-s-s-sting about mys-s-self!" Snake Man tried to turn his head away, but was stopped by his pinned tail.
"Oh? Surely there's something you enjoy?" That's when Snake Man moved his whole body to avert his gaze.
At first, he didn't have an answer. Not one he wanted to give. He wasn't even sure why Pharaoh Man having a good opinion of him was so important, but it was!! It took him a minute before he could find a way to answer.
"Um, I like to learn. I like to learn about, um, people I care about, like, what they like, what makes-s-s them happy..." Was that too much?! That was too much, wasn't it?! Lord, think Snake Man, what else?!
"That's... Really sweet." Snake Man was sure his core exploded hearing that. "And... Insightful." Oh now Snake Man wanted to explode.
"No— wait, uh, I don't- um, I-I als-s-so like, taking care of my s-s-s-snakes-s-s-s!!"
"Your snakes? Let pet snakes, or your Search Snakes?" Snake Man gulped again and let one of his snakes crawl out of his buster. The Search Snake slithered around his leg and nestled itself onto his shoulder.
"Thes-se guys-s." It brought Snake Man a sense of comfort with its presence, especially as he reached over his chest to pet it. "I know they're not on the s-same AI level as Rush or Beat, but they're still really cute to me, and I still care about them a lot, even if they can't exactly feel or return the affection."
"I see."
"I suppose it's similar to how humans grow so attached to their Roombas." Pharaoh Man suddenly got up and moved towards Snake Man with his hand extended out.
"May I?" Snake Man's face felt so hot, he was briefly worried about overheating.
"Uh, sure." Snake Man nodded, extending his own hand out. The mechanical snake hesitated for a moment, looking up and Snake Man before wiggling its way down his arm and into Pharaoh Man's hand. Pharaoh Man brought the snake closer to his face, and gently used a single finger to pet it. The snake immediately perked up with glee, instantly trusting the other.
How?! How could Pharaoh Man do this to him, get in his head and make him feel so happy and so nervous?! Snake Man just wanted to protect him, hold him, just be in his presence... And yet his nerves, he made him shake, he made him feel sick, and undeserving to be in his presence, yet somehow still welcome!! Welcome in a way that the Lights, despite their kindness, were never fully capable of making him feel. Like this wasn't weird!
"They are quite cute." He chuckled. Snake Man about melted, his mind became mush. All he could do was stare longingly at Pharaoh Man. He was so handsome, and watching him interact so well with his snake, hearing his laugh, it was... It was.... "You know, you are quite different from how my brother made you sound."
Ah. There. There it was. Snake Man tried to turn his head again, but when he couldn't, he brought his knees back up and hid his face into them instead. He wanted to cry thinking about Toad Man, and the things he did to him, while in front of Pharaoh Man. Pharaoh Man must have sensed he said the wrong thing because he sat down and gently placed a hand on his foot.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"No, I, it.... Toad Man... Is-s right to hate me. To fear me. I'm... Not proud of what I did to him. Not anymore. I jus-st... Didn't realize...." Snake Man didn't look up— he could feel his eyes grow misty. "I didn't realize how that was affecting him. I didn't know any better, but... The things-s he's said about me..." He knew what they were, he'd been watching at the time, he knew exactly what he went and told his brothers. At least, up until he stopped watching him. "They weren't lies-s-s. I did do those terrible things-s-s to him. I des-s-serve his-s-s hatred." He tried to lower his gaze, but his head wouldn't move. "I des-s-s-serve it...."
"Snake Man, stop. You've obviously changed since then. I'm sure Toad Man just hasn't seen that." Pharaoh Man sighed, "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I wasn't thinking."
"It... Don't... Worry. About it— jus-st forget it." Snake Man felt something slither across his arm and looked up. His Search Snake nuzzled up against his cheek, as if to check on him. "I really... Do feel bad...."
"I can tell. Have you ever thought about apologizing?"
"Of course I have! But how am I supposed to do that?! I don't know how to do that and not have it sound like fake lies as it is, and-and now I jus-s-st— how do you apologize for s-s-s-stalking s-s-s-someone when reaching out just look-s-s like further attempts-s-s?!"
"Why would your apology sound fake?"
"Why would it s-s-sound genuine?! I mean just look at me, I'm not exactly the image that comes-s-s to mind when s-s-someone us-ses-s-s the words-s-s 'ups-standing' or 'hones-s-st!'" He gently cradled his Search Snake in his hand, looking only at it. "Snakes and Dr. Wily... They're both known for their deceit, and I'll forever be associated with both." Pharaoh Man's eyes widened at that.
They fell into a small silence. Neither knew what to say. After a sigh, however, Pharaoh Man was the first to speak.
"I've never really associated you with Dr. Wily." Snake Man looked up at that. "To be honest, I forgot you were made by him. Or Ra Moon, I guess. When I think of the robots Wily made, I think of Flash Man, Bubble Man, Air Man, Gyro Man, Wave Man, and Shadow Man. You don't generally cross my mind. And even then, I don't think less of them simply for being made by Wily." Snake Man stared at Pharaoh Man, almost in awe. "But I see what you mean. Dr. Wily and his fake apologies.... I can see how some of my brothers wouldn't trust you." Snake Man just wanted to hide in a hole. Well, he was already in one, but he wanted to hide away from this hole. "But I am not my brothers."
Snake Man suddenly looked up at Pharaoh Man. He felt... Different. Happy. Like he might actually have a chance to make things right.
"I think you're a good guy, Snake Man. I do not see you as 'evil' or 'deceitful.' If anything, I find you quite delightful. The fact that you enjoy learning about the people you care about is really heartwarming. Although, the way you go about obtaining that information is a little...."
"You don't need to s-s-s-say it, I know!!!" Although his mouth was covered, Snake Man could see a slight smile to Pharaoh Man's eyes.
"The way I see it, a change in behavior like that— without reprogramming, that is— it isn't easy. Skull Man has been trying for years now, and he's still the same as he's always been. Most things are so deep-rooted into our programming that they're difficult to overcome or alter. I just think that, if you truly have changed your ways, and if you are, indeed, this serious about how you feel, then it's nothing short of... Admirable."
Snake Man's eyes lit up with optimism. Pharaoh Man... Thought something he did was admirable? All he could do was stare, anxiety slowly dissipating into Pharaoh Man's eyes, leaving only the joy and pleasantness Pharaoh Man always seemed to bring the snake. Sure, it still felt like his wires were in knots, but he no longer wanted to hide away. He thought... He'd like to stay in his presence, just a bit longer.
Then, Snake Man flinched, feeling something slimy slide across his arm. His head, uncaring about his tail at the moment, snapped down to see what was causing the sensation. As he feared, it was a little slug that had crawled onto his body and was leaving a slimy trail of disgusting on him.
"Eww!!" Snake Man suddenly screeched, flailing his arm to get rid of the disgusting creature. "Get it off get it off gross!!!" Pharaoh Man backed away slightly, watching the other's sudden panic. When Snake Man looked back to his arm, the slug was gone... Which, in a way was worse because now he had no idea where it went. "Where?! Kill it— where is it?!" He tried to look around, but his head was still pinned with rocks.
"Where's what, Snake Man?!"
"That- that vile, disgusting creature?!"
"I have literally no idea what you're talking about." Pharaoh Man's eyes looked slightly behind Snake Man's head, and Snake Man very much took notice. He followed his gaze to the stone behind him and immediately took notice of the family of slugs behind him.
"Ew! Oh my freakin— get them off me!!!" Snake Man shrieked, despite not a single one of the slugs being on him, nor even close enough to reach him within the next thirty seconds, but apparently it was still too close for his liking.
"You don't like slugs? H-here, let me get them!" Pharaoh Man reassured with urgency, used to taking care of creepy crawlies for Kalinka. Pharaoh Man crawled closer towards the distressed Snake Man to reach the wall behind him. As soon as Pharaoh Man got close, Snake Man rigidly froze, as if scared to touch him.
Pharaoh Man slowly, carefully, plucked each slug off the wall, before pulling back with all six in his hand.
"There, see?" Despite not having a stomach, Snake Man's lurched at the sight. He couldn't help the disgusted face he made watching them move in his hand, so Snake Man really hoped it was dark enough that he couldn't see how embarrassed and disgusted he was.
Unfortunately, both their eyes illuminated the dark hole just enough that Snake Man caught the amused look in his eye, which reminded Snake Man that Pharaoh Man was built to be able to see in the dark.
"J...jus-s-st get them away from me!" He huffed with a certain venom to his stammering voice.
"Okay, okay, they won't bother you anymore." Pharaoh Man clearly was trying not to laugh or chuckle for the sake of the other's pride, which, only further shattered it. Maybe? Actually no, if Pharaoh Man had laughed, Snake Man would want to die even more.
"I-! I'm... Going to check on the s-s-s-snakes!" He hissed, closing his eyes and trying to focus.
"Oh. Okay." Pharaoh Man's voice provided a distraction to Snake Man's focus. He swallowed, unable to stop himself from wondering why he sounded so disappointed.
After the things he'd done to Toad Man, it surely couldn't be that he genuinely enjoyed his company, could it? Unlikely, even among his brothers, he wasn't exactly well-liked. He was probably just anxious about the situation. All things considered, Pharaoh Man was being awfully level headed about it. More than... He just was. Snake Man was aware of his face heating up once again. He was so embarrassed now that he was taking the time to actually think about it. But was this better than having the other freak out? Snake Man swallowed, willing his left hand to stop it's subtle tremble. Why was he like this? So anxious? Since when did he care about what others thought of him? It wasn't just 'others' though, it wasn't just 'someone,' it was Pharaoh Man. Snake Man was pretty sure he'd never met any robot half as handsome as he was, half as cool, half as... Nobody else ever came close to Pharaoh Man. Especially not Snake Man. The former deserved far better than....
What the heck was he even thinking?! Ugh! He actually needed to focus. The Search Snake was likely near the campsite by now. He steeled himself, really trying to focus. He heard Pharaoh Man sigh, and swallowed, focusing on the three search units he had active.
After a few minutes of willing himself to actually focus, he finally managed to get a visual. He heard footsteps following the Search Snake. One human, and one robot. He prompted the snake to pause for a second to glance back, and sure enough, it was Dr. Cossack and one of his robots. The red one. Snake Man didn't know. The Search Snake quickly turned back and looked around for Snake Man's sake, and continued down the careful path he and Pharaoh Man had taken earlier.
"Hurry. Snake Man and Pharaoh Man must be in trouble." Dr. Cossack reminded.
"I don't unde- .....why th- ....."
"B-... -an it-.... -ossib-..."
The connection was suddenly cut off when Snake Man became aware of a thick, slimy sensation on the back of his neck. He knew exactly what it was and a hand flew to flick it off.
"Slug!!" He screamed with a slight wretch to his voice. He grabbed the disgusting thing off his neck and threw it to his immediate left. Unfortunately for him, in this small space, that wasn't very far at all, and certainly not as far as he would have liked. He wanted to throw up when his eyes locked onto the biggest, fattest slug that Snake Man had ever seen in his robotic life.
He screamed a second time, and immediately writhed and yanked against the wall to get away. He didn't care what he did to himself in the moment, all he knew was that he needed to get away, and get away five seconds ago!!
"W-woah- Snake Man!!" Snake Man hardly winced as his armored tail ripped by the already torn metal, he felt the wires inside it tug at his head, and ignored everything else. The immediate pain, the sparks, anything that didn't involve him getting away from that disgusting creature was not important. "Snake Man, stop! Ah-!" Pharaoh Man suddenly yelped in pain as a spark illuminated the darkness for a fraction of a second. Rocks and dust fell from above, and Snake Man still shook his head, yanking and pulling as he finally gained enough distance to stand. "Stop it- my eyes-! You'll cave us in!!" Pharaoh Man pleaded, but Snake Man couldn't hear over his own panic at that point. He pulled, yank, tugged, filling the small, dark space up with flash after flash, which kept poor Pharaoh Man locked in place. He tried to keep his eyes covered, but there was only so much he could do.
Finally, Snake Man felt the last of his wires snap as he ran to the other side of the small, enclosed space, eye-wide and breath shallow with panic. He stared back at the vile slug with nothing but fear and anxiety as he blindly felt for the other side of the wall behind him. Thanks to all the stray sparks, he genuinely couldn't see anymore, his eyes would need to readjust. When he placed his hand on a rock, he realized it was loose, and snapped his head back to look at it.
After a few more breaths, his panic subsided, and he remembered where he was. Oh lord, he was so embarrassed. He tried to play it off as best as he could though.
"I... I thought you s-s-s-said it was airtight...." He trembled.
Pharaoh Man groaned out in response,
"With- with your tail it was— don't touch anything— ah- I-I need to analyze it yet." The guilt bit Snake Man hard. It felt like his core had suddenly dropped into his proverbial stomach, only to be caught by the wires that had entangled themselves in Pharaoh Man's presence. "With your tail in place, all the rocks were tightly packed, but you pulled it out, so it may be less stable now."
"Crap, I..." Snake Man reached for the end of his tail, but winced when he brushed a torn wire instead. "I wasn't thinking. I...."
"It- it's fine. I hadn't realized your adversity was a fear..." Pharaoh Man blinked, trying to force his eyesight to return. "My eyes are designed for dark places, and while they can adjust quickly, bright flashes.... Messes with them badly." He shook his head, staring at what he's sure is the ground with squinted, and blinking eyes.
"I...." Snake Man couldn't get the words out. He was so ashamed, and didn't know what to say. "Know... I didn't mean for...." He shook his head once, but it resulted in a small spark, so he was quick to rigidly freeze himself in place. He felt his knees buckle and his jaw quiver. What the heck was wrong with him?!
"Okay, okay. I think I can see again." Snake Man felt himself grow hot, and stiffened up at Pharaoh Man's voice. "Let me— oh my gosh...." He gasped, looking at Snake Man and seeing his tail completely ripped off.
Snake Man couldn't meet his eye.
"Does it hurt much?"
"Um... Dr. Cos-s-s-s-s—" Snake Man growled at the return of his stupid stutter, "help is-s on the way!" Pharaoh Man's eyes widened,
"Ah. R-right. I should m-make s-sure this is s-still stable."
Snake Man watched meekly as Pharaoh Man examined the much looser walls. He turned his head slightly and caused more sparks, which made Pharaoh Man flinch. Defeatedly, Snake Man slunk down to sit back on the floor, and curled up to bury his face in his knees again. The words 'don't cry' looped in his processor on repeat, getting louder, faster, and more desperate with each passing moment, all up until he felt himself fail. Tears rolled down his cheek, and got stuck in the jaw of his helmet. He was suddenly very thankful he didn't have a nose to sniffle with. He hated the fact that he was actually crying— who was he, Bubble Man?! He hated this. He hated everything about this. He hated the fact that he sparked every time he moved his head, he hated the fact that it was Pharaoh Man he was stuck with. He hated the fact that there were slugs down here. He hated the fact that he was crying. He hated the fact that he caused Pharaoh Man pain. He hated the fact that he agreed to do this. He hated the fact that he felt guilty. He hated the fact that he cared so much about what Pharaoh Man thought of him. He hated the fact that he was actually embarrassed to be around him. He hated the fact that it would be maybe another 20 minutes before anyone else came. He hated the fact that other people were coming, and he'd be seen like this: crying! He hated the fact that he freaked out. He hated the fact that he freaked out in front of Pharaoh Man. He hated the fact that he freaked in front of Pharaoh Man so badly that he literally ripped himself apart. He hated the fact that he freaked out in front of Pharaoh Man so hard that he literally ripped himself apart and almost killed them both.
"Well, it... It is less stable," Pharaoh Man gulped. "But if we stay away from the walls, it should be fi..."
Pharaoh Man trailed off looking at the miserable Snake Man. A part of him felt bad, and having gotten to know him a bit better now... Pharaoh Man knelt down to him.
"Go away!" He snarled out.
"Does it hurt that bad?" Pharaoh Man asked.
"I s-s-s-s-said go away!!" Snake Man refused to meet the other's eye. The absolute last thing his pride needed was to see him crying.
"There's... Nowhere for me to go...." Pharaoh Man pointed out. "If it hurts, I'm sure there's some wire we could pull to-"
"It- it doesn't hurt!!" Snake Man snapped, "why can't you jus-s-s-st leave me alone?!"
"Well, I—"
"Jus-st forget it!! This was a mis-s-s-s-stake! I should never have agreed to this-s-s I knew better!!" Snake Man got up, practically stomped across the room, albeit a bit wobbly, which knocked a few pebbles loose.
"H-hey now! You need to calm down, it's not stable enough to—
"Why did I agree to this-s-s?! Why did I agree," Snake Man turned around suddenly, hot, angry tears streaming down his cheeks as he pointed to Pharaoh Man "to work with you?!"
He instantly froze, face falling as he realized what he just said. He could see the pain behind Pharaoh Man's eyes at his words.
"W... Wait, wait-!" Snake Man backpedaled, "wait a s-s-s-s-s— back up a s-s-s-s-s— that's-s-s-s-s—" It was no use. Snake Man was far too flustered now to get the words out; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop stammering.
Snake Man released a frustrated growl, and lifted up his fist as he turned back towards the wall, ready to punch it full force.
"Snake Man, don't!!" Pharaoh Man begged, fully sounding as scared as he felt. He watched in horror as his fist swung at the wall... But stopped. Snake Man stared at the wires that hung from his tail that remained in the wall, and then crumpled to the ground.
"Just forget it." He choked out.
Pharaoh Man swallowed, extending a hand out towards Snake Man before pulling it back cautiously.
"I'm... Sorry." He finally spoke.
"Tch!" After all the horrible things Snake Man has said and done, why was Pharaoh Man the one apologizing?! "Shut up!"
"I... I really am." He offered again. "Could you please tell me what I've done to upset you?"
"Nothing!" Snake Man hissed.
"Snake Man. I wish to fix my error. I can't do that if I don't know what I did."
"You didn't do anything!!"
"Then why are you upset with me--" Snake Man suddenly whipped around in the middle of Pharaoh Man's sentence.
"Because you're too perfect okay?!" In an instant, Snake Man felt his face heat up, and quickly turned back around to hide it. "The reason I can't get any of my words-s-s-s out is-s-s because of you! The reas-s-son I can't focus-s-s-s is because of you!! The reason I keep feeling s-s-so different is-s becaus-s-s-se of you!!! I jus-s-s-s-s-s--!!" He growled in frustration again. "I-I didn't want to look like an idiot around you. Y-you're charming and elegant, handsome and tall, mysterious and humble! I can't s-s-s-s-stand how perfect you are! You dis-s-s-stract me in the bes-s-s-st way, and I hate it, but I think I'd rather die than get you out of my head! You're perfect in every possible way and I can't... I can't s-s-s-s-stand to hear what you think of me...."
Snake Man slumped lower. He didn't know why he just said everything, he started speaking and then it just all came out, and he couldn't stop it. He wanted to die. This was by far the lowest he'd ever felt. He had so much respect for Pharaoh Man and for him to push him away to this degree was awful. He knew he'd just screwed everything up and would so much rather join the ranks of his fallen brothers than deal with the consequences today brought.
Instead, Snake Man felt a hand on his shoulder, and then a second gently touching his chin to guide his face to turn, where his lips met a metallic cloth. His core buzzed loudly in his ears, he felt his hands tremble. Pharaoh Man pulled away, gazing passionately into his wide eyes.
"Forgive me for being so bold. You just- you said you did not want to hear my thoughts of you. So I thought that, perhaps you should feel them, instead. Snake Man, I look at you, and I see a kind robot that has not been given a great lot in life, but has persevered nonetheless. Someone who has tried, despite what everyone says or thinks of you. You find beauty in places others are too afraid to look. That is, I think, admirable." Snake Man just stared, wanting to take his words, run with them, and accept them for what they were. But he just couldn't. He'd messed up with this family badly.
"But- but what about the awful, horrible things-s-s-s I did to Toad Man?"
"The way I see it, Snake Man, you had more pure intentions than what Toad Man, and the rest of us, initially thought. You realized you made a mistake, and the behavior ceased upon one of us actually acknowledging it verbally." Snake Man rested a shaky hand on Pharaoh Man's arm. "Robots made for combat... Aren't always programmed with social knowledge."
"My brothers were— you can't say that."
"As was Ring Man." Pharaoh Man reminded, "but Skull Man wasn't. He still struggles to catch on, read the room, understand...."
"Oh..." Snake Man recalled, once, witnessing a heated argument between Skull Man and Dive Man that had frightened Toad Man, who'd been in the same room. The argument has been caused by a bad choice of words, poor taste, and a lack of a filter, on Skull Man's part. "He's... Still like that?"
"Ah- he does improve each day, learn and grow, but I don't know if I'd personally say that he's come a long way. Not as far as you have."
"But... That's only if you take me at my word—"
"And I've yet to see a reason not to." Snake Man blinked rapidly. Now his tears were falling for a reason he didn't quite comprehend, and it was frustrating him. Pharaoh Man gently wiped them away. "We all have our flaws, Snake Man. No man or machine is perfect. But you try. And I think that, alone, is quite beautiful...." Snake Man just leaned against Pharaoh Man. He was starting to feel tired— he likely lost a lot of energy from ripping his tail off. Yet Pharaoh Man merely wrapped an arm around him for support. "If... If what you said is truly how you feel... Than perhaps when we're done... You and I could... Um...."
Snake Man's eyes widened at his words.
"Are- are you s-s-s-seriously asking me out?!" Pharaoh Man nervously chuckled and looked away. Snake Man reeled back, but froze when the movement caused a spark.
"Ah! Ow!!"
"Ack! That was-s-s-s an accident!!" Snake Man apologized.
"I know, but it still hurts. It- it's fine. A-and you're right. We're in quite a dire predicament, this, erm, likely isn't the, uh, best place to be asking, I just—" Snake Man had to laugh. He couldn't help it anymore. It was too funny. His shoulders shook beyond his control, but he did his best to keep the movements in his head to a minimum to avoid any more sparking.
"You're actually kidding me right now! Hahaha! I spent years with the biggest freakin' crush on you, I avoid you for years as a result, and yet you're the one that's nervous about asking me out on a date?! Hahahahaha!!!" Snake Man really couldn't stop laughing. "I'm- I'm sorry, it's too funny!" He wasn't actually sorry, well, maybe a little bit, but he found the irony too hilarious to just ignore. "The fact that you even have to ask," Snake Man calmed down, wiping his eye with the inner wrist of his right hand, "yes. Absolutely! I would love to go out with you!" He beamed, finally feeling lighter than air for the first time since he agreed to do this.
The two fell into a comfortable silence for a little bit, Snake Man more than a little excited for their date. After a few minutes though...
"There is... One thing I am curious to know, if you don't mind my asking. If you didn't want to work with me initially, which, of course, I am rather glad you did, uh, why did you agree to it?"
"O-oh. Um..."
"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"N-no, no. I just. I kinda wanted to try and make things right between me and the rest of your... 'family.' Toad Man, Dr. Cossack... everyone. I never wanted bad oil between us."
"I see." Pharaoh Man gently took Snake Man's hand and ran a thumb over his knuckle, gazing lovingly into his eyes, "you've only further proven my point. You try. You try to make yourself better. I know men who don't bother with that." Snake Man blushed and looked away, shamefully.
"I mean... Yeah, me too." Dr. Wily, of course, but he was pretty sure Pharaoh Man didn't mean him. "But I guess I- huh? Do you hear that?" There was a soft buzzing sound,
"Hear wha- oh, I feel it!" The buzzing noise grew louder and louder as it got closer; not only that, but it vibrated everything around them, shaking the rocks and causing a few of the unstable ones to fall. "Ah! It- it's going to cave in completely!!" Pharaoh Man panicked.
Snake Man stood, quickly getting a read on the sinkhole that trapped them, now that he was mobile and focused.
"Grr- back to that corner we were in before!" He pointed, helping Pharaoh Man stand, "that's the most stable!" Snake Man moved to run over, but about tipped over as a result.
His tail was rather heavy by itself, even if it never seemed to move like it. As a result, he was, naturally, made with a counter balance for it. Without it, Snake Man was suddenly thrown away off balance.
Luckily, Pharaoh Man was there to keep him from falling, and even helped him across the area. Rocks continued to fall and crumble, around them, and nothing more could be done for the two to protect themselves. Pharaoh Man held Snake Man close, terrified that their rescuers were unknowingly about to make everything worse. Snake Man looked around, trying to figure out some way to keep the area stable until the drilling was done. He finally saw one larger rock that seemed to be keeping several others in place. If they could hold that up, then they'd likely be safe. He extended his hand up to try to keep it stable, but unfortunately his height was just short enough that he could only use his fingertips, and it wasn't very effective at all.
"Pharaoh Man!" He called to get his attention.
Pharaoh Man was in a panic, Snake Man clenched tight in his arms, eyes shaky and unfocused as he core buzzed louder than the drilling. He was absolutely freaking out, and couldn't hear anything else around him.
"Pharaoh Man!!" Snake Man called again, and it snapped him out of it. Pharaoh Man looked to Snake Man to see what he needed, and realized what he was doing, and placed his free hand up for him. The sides would collapse in front of them, but it only served to make the space more narrow, not quite smaller.
Finally, after agonizingly long seconds, Drill Man emerged from the opposing side next to the remains of Snake Man's tail.
"Ha! Took long eno- oh- oh sweet silt, did I do that?!" Drill Man gasped when he saw the mechanical severed tail. Pharaoh Man heaved a sigh of relief, but didn't let go of the stone above them, Snake Man couldn't help but laugh.
"No, you didn't, brother, but you did destabilize the area!"
"Hang on-" Snake Man offered, allowing the Search Snake from before to crawl out of his shoulder plate and further examine the stability of the sinkhole. He closed his eyes and held Pharaoh Man's hand. "It should be fine to let go now, Pharaoh Man. As long as nothing jostles it." He explained, opening his eyes and releasing Pharaoh Man's hand. "Just be careful." Pharaoh Man slowly and carefully removed his hand from the stone ceiling.
"I've carved out a path for you two. This way."
"Drill Man, do you not see how narrow this space is?!" Pharaoh Man argued,
"Didn't that creep just say it wasn't stable? I can't drill through this anymore without it collapsing!"
"Perhaps you should learn to slow down and be a bit more calculative?!" Pharaoh Man huffed.
"We'll just go one at a time." Snake Man decided.
"Wha- but you're off-balance!" Pharaoh Man exclaimed,
"It's fine, I can still walk." Pharaoh Man looked down at Snake Man.
"Fine." Snake Man let go of Pharaoh Man and let him go... Except Pharaoh Man didn't move. "You go first."
"What?!"
"What?! Me?!" Drill Man and Snake Man both gasped. "What about that..." Snake Man's eyes darted to Drill Man for a second, unsure if he knew, "thing you told me about?!"
"I'll be fine."
"Pharaoh Man, don't be stupid, you just said he can't walk!"
"That's not what he said, I can walk!!"
"By a technical definition alone." Pharaoh Man confirmed.
"Whatever. Not important. If I bump into the wall too hard, that's going to cave in on you!"
"He's right, Pharaoh Man, it's too risky."
"It's risky either way."
"Yeah, but-"
"Just be careful, Snake Man." Pharaoh Man pleaded. "This isn't up for debate." Snake Man stared, feeling a warmth in his core. He'd never been put first like this before.
"Tch. Fine!"
However, at the first step, Snake Man nearly fell on his face, to which Drill Man made a panicked gasp at, but luckily Pharaoh Man caught him.
"Hold my hand. For balance." Sure, Snake Man thought, for balance. Still, Snake Man nodded, and took his hand, oddly enough, it was enough to keep him steady enough to shuffle through most of the narrow gap. It was just wide enough that Snake Man might have had to worry about getting stuck if he still had his tail, and suddenly turned his head to look forward. Immediately, he worried about Pharaoh Man's decorative helmet, for it was quite wide, and had that pretty cobra on the front.
Pharaoh Man's hand was fully extended out, as was Snake Man's, but they were still just shy of clearance. Snake Man could probably make it, but it was so hard to tell until he was falling.
"Drill Man, take his hand. Take him."
"Oh yeah, so that if he falls, he stabs himself on my-"
"My brother's electric rods are sharper than those, I'll be fine." Snake Man grumbled curtly. Still, he was very much used to not touching them, since Spark Man's always had a bit of an electric charge running through it, touching him there when he wasn't expecting it usually resulted in an unwanted shock. As for the brief time he knew Crash Man, well, he quickly learned not to touch him there either, simply because he apparently hadn't liked being touched on his 'not-hands.' It was weird to have to hold one now.
Drill Man extended his arm and drill out for Snake Man, and he hesitated for a moment. Jokes aside, Drill Man also had a point, those things were sharp, and it would be really bad for him to fall on those drills, even if they weren't moving. He placed his hand on the wall for balance, inching forward. Snake Man's fingers wouldn't leave Pharaoh Man's yet, not until he was certain he was stable. The last thing he needed was to be the reason Pharaoh Man was hurt any more. But as he extended out his hand towards the drill, he wobbled forward before practically throwing himself back at the other wall.
"Move forward, dang it!!" Snake Man demanded,
"I can't, it's too small for me!" Snake Man growled in response.
"Oh, come on!" He placed his hand on the wall, then looked back to Pharaoh Man, just to make sure he was okay. Finally, Snake Man let go of his fingers in favor of leaning against the wall.
"Careful." Pharaoh Man cautioned.
"I'm-! Shush!" He huffed, blushing the faintest bit. So faint that only someone like Pharaoh Man would notice in the dark. Snake Man turned his head— slowly to avoid sparks— to face Drill Man again, and shuffled closer to him. Oh, he hated this. If the stakes weren't as high as they were, he could probably just walk normally!! At least, that's what Snake Man genuinely believed. When putting Pharaoh Man at risk, however, he didn't want to take that chance....
Finally, Snake Man got close enough to grab onto a drill, and was able to more quickly pull himself out of the narrow path. Drill Man helped pull him out as well, and Snake Man stumbled out and placed his hands behind his back and on the wall for support so Drill Man could more easily offer his brother support.
"Hey, watch your helmet. It's-s-s way more narrow than it looks-s-s." Ugh, why was that stupid stutter back?!
He was likely just anxious about Pharaoh Man. After all, he'd only just managed to achieve something he thought impossible: a date with Pharaoh Man. Pharaoh Man!! He couldn't think of anyone more opposite than him! Not only that but, oh lord, he kissed him earlier. Like, an actual kiss! That was certainly going to be living rent free in his head for...ever. For the first time, it really felt like Snake Man's future was looking bright, not bleak or mundane. Maybe he could even get in a relationship with him— it was something that actually seemed realistic now. But he could lose it. He could lose it all, and lose Pharaoh Man right now if something went wrong. He stilled himself, afraid that if he'd moved, he'd cause everything to go horribly wrong, and that he'd get Pharaoh Man killed. Or even worse, bury him alive in a state where he was beyond rescue! He could lose him after only just getting a chance with him. He could lose everything he's ever dreamed of!
Snake Man was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the definitive clang of metallic feet. He shifted his eyes to look to Pharaoh Man, fully on the same side now as he stood taller. Snake Man, in turn, stood his full height, as Drill Man walked past him.
"This way you two, come on!" Drill Man guided. Snake Man crawled into the tunnel he made, watching him and Pharaoh Man go ahead. The process was a little dizzying for him, as he was off balance and eventually he settled on climbing on the side. It was far easier for him this way, but still not as easy as it would be normally.
Eventually, the three robots crawled back up to the surface, to a very worried Dr. Cossack.
"Ah, o, slava Bogu! There you three are! You were starting to worry m..." Dr. Cossack trailed off when he saw Snake Man's head as he slowly crawled out, falling and smacking his chin on the ground.
"Ah- sorry m- Snake Man!" Pharaoh Man apologized, far too quick to correct himself from whatever he was about to say. Pharaoh Man turned around and offered him a hand to help him up. Snake Man took it gently, letting Pharaoh Man stand him up. Maybe he really was a bit more screwed than he thought.
"Snake Man! Your tail! What happened to it?! Where is it?!"
"Down there, obviously." He replied with a hint of venom.
"Hey," Pharaoh Man warned with his tone, "it was caught on the rocks, and the only way we could, ah, move him to a safer section was by severing it." He offered his creator.
"Yeah. Which ended up with a lot of bright flashes, so he's probably damaged too." Snake Man informed, nodding slightly towards Pharaoh Man as he helped him stand upright.
"Dorogoy gospodin, okay. Pharaoh Man, can you still see okay?"
"Erm, ah, not as well as my usual, but I can still navigate through here."
"Snake Man, are you off-balance at all?"
"Extremely." Pharaoh Man answered.
"I can speak for myself!"
"Will you be honest?" Well... Pharaoh Man had a point, annoyingly enough.
"It- it's only when I walk. Don't make it sound worse than it is!" Dr. Cossack pushed up his glasses slightly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was glad everyone was safe, of course, but this was going to give him a stress migraine.
"Okay, Pharaoh Man, can you help him walk back to the lab?"
"Yes." He looked over to Snake Man with the faintest of blushes— but not faint enough for Snake Man not to catch it as he looked down at him. "I'd be more than happy to." Oh. Snake Man felt his face heat up in an instant.
The four of them walked back to the makeshift lab, Pharaoh Man keeping Snake Man close to his body to keep him balanced. While Dr. Cossack and Drill Man were discussing something else, Pharaoh Man and Snake Man walked in a comfortable silence until.
"I just noticed- your lisp is gone."
"My lis... Oh." Snake Man snorted, connecting the dots quickly. Until today, until an hour ago, he'd never been bold enough to speak to Pharaoh Man, and he'd been stuttering the whole time. "It wasn't a lisp, I..." He trailed off with a chuckle. "Forget it."