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Adam laid back on his mattress, muscles tense. He attempted to relax, closing his eyes and reminding himself how useless he would be without any sleep. He then released an exasperated sigh when no position was comfortable, and his mind was still wandering into unfriendly territory.
The Aquabania Prince couldn’t catch a break. Ever since his return to his homeland, about two months ago, he had been struggling to keep up with his new position. He was soon to be king, as soon as the paperwork was complete. And paperwork, well, there was a lot of it. Not only to help him claim his throne, but in general.
Reforming Aquabania was proving to be more challenging than the young royal had expected, and he had not gone in thinking it a simple task by any means.
The people looked to him, for everything. A lot was expected of a prince, after all. Especially since he was the only living member of the royal bloodline. Although many people were welcoming, many were quite the opposite.
“Where have you been all these years!? "You were supposed to be protecting us!”
“Your parents would have wanted things done differently.”
“A disgrace to the De Adam name.”
Adam had been only thirteen when his parents were killed, and he was evacuated in a hallowed out log with a group of strangers. These strangers had ended up becoming his best friends (most of them, anyways), and were known as The Aquabats! Also known as the team of music-playing crime-fighting heroes that had been fighting M’s forces and working to help the Aquabanian people ever since a kind Professor had taken them in.
So, the prince, as a member of The Aquabats had been doing everything in his power to help the people, from afar. Until he was older and more prepared to take on his role as the ruler of the land. It had always been his plan, after all. Survivor’s guilt was something that had stuck with him from a young age.
Many of nights he laid awake wondering, if things had been different...And his parents hadn’t so selflessly stayed to fight to ensure his safety. Not to mention all the other blood shed from his people, including Aquabanians who hadn’t survived the trip to shore.
He was lucky. Despite his best efforts and hard work to achieve a better feeling of worth, the prince had the lost and living woes of all Aquabanians on his shoulders.
Ever since his departure from The Aquabats, Adam had also felt a sense of loneliness. For over ten years of his life he had been living in a house full of rowdy bandmates. Bandmates that were family to him. People he had grown to love so dearly…
Despite this closeness, being swamped with work and high emotions leaves one with little to no freetime.
In fact, after his first call as promised, during his first week away, Adam felt fearful of even reaching out.
Am I just using them to vent?
He would wonder, chest growing heavy.
He had distanced himself from the people he loved, almost to protect them, in his mind.
This was sadly not the case, as the band not only missed but also worried for the young prince.
So here Adam was, another restless night of worrying about tomorrow. The familiar feeling of tears pricking his eyes was almost a comfort, at this point, because it was consistent. Always there when he was feeling low.
Thank goodness he was so exhausted, as sleep finally found him and he was lulled to sleep by the familiar noise of waves crashing on the nearby beaches.
***
Overseas on the beaches of Southern California, in the lab where The Aquabats reside, a certain robot was still roaming the halls.
It was odd, seeing as he was a robot and was normally charging this time of night. Or rather morning, as time had shifted into the AM’s. Despite being on low battery, Jimmy’s system wasn’t ready to shutdown for the night.
He usually kept his charging schedule similar to the sleeping of his bandmates, but due to recent events he had been a little off. Well, more than a little, quite a lot.
Adam’s departure, although it had been somewhat expected, still left the robot feeling a certain emptiness he had never experienced before. He felt as though he had lost the person closest to him. Perhaps it was the lack of both Adam’s presence and communication that made this so hard...That and the fact that he had never gotten over his age-old feelings for the prince.
Upon joining the Bats back in the 90s, Jimmy had been smitten for the royal with a heart of gold and those eyes...those dazzling blue eyes. No one had blamed the robot, partially due to it being a heavily guarded secret. Well, until Jimmy had malfunctioned as he hadn’t been equip for such complex emotions.
Luckily, an upgrade from Monty and Catboy had fixed that. But it had also ended in both parties learning that Jimmy had fallen in love with none-other than their very own trumpeter wonder boy, Adam. Of course they never told anyone, but being able to admit these feelings to SOMEONE had put the robot at ease.
Nowadays, the robot had managed to be more lowkey about romantic feelings, but he and Adam were undeniably close. They had spent a lot of time together before the prince had left to Aquabania.
Jimmy was sat at the dining table, head laying atop his arms as he contemplated what to do with himself…His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Jimmy?” yawned Chainsaw, who had just emerged from the hallway and was heading towards the kitchen. “Yer charging schedule still off?”
The robot glanced over at the guitarist as he spoke. “Indeed...Perhaps this is the night I fix it.” his tone wasn’t at all hopeful when he stated this fact.
Saw opened the fridge, retrieving a carton of milk. “I could stay up with you, if you want.”
Jimmy snickered slightly. “I don’t want to risk being stuck with a cranky Chainsaw at practice tomorrow.”
“Bold of you too assume I’m going to be at practice tomorrow.” the guitarist flashed a mischievous grin as he grabbed two mugs. “Want some cookies and milk?”
“Sure.” the robot gave into his sweet tooth, as per usual. Being a robot has its perks: Such as eating all the sweets you want without any consequences!
Chainsaw joined Jimmy at the table with the milk as well as a box of cookies. “Y’know, I almost always wake up at 3am…”
“Catboy’s doing?” Jimmy could assume as much as he grabbed a cookie from the freshly opened container.
“Yup. Even after he’s moved out, I just got so used to it...And yeah, here’s his 3am text message.” the guitarist was grinning ear to ear as he opened his phone.
The robot managed a weak grin. Chainsaw and Catboy, despite having had a falling out during Catboy’s initial departure from the band, were now closer than ever. In fact, they had actually been a couple since the late 90s! Jimmy couldn’t help but want what they had…
Saw was well aware of what Jimmy was going through, and after texting his feline lover, he decided it was time someone acknowledged it. Despite him not being the best at feelings he really wanted to help. “You’ve been thinking about Adam, haven’t you?”
Jimmy froze up for a second, and it was like his system short circuited when he heard the name. Perhaps they had. “Yes…” he admitted, averting his gaze from the guitarist’s eyes.
“I think we all have.” Chainsaw rubbed his neck, watching the other’s expression fall. “I know it’s different, for you.” he acknowledged, because he had been caught in a similar situation. “Have you tried to call him?”
“No.” Jimmy’s tone was flat.
“I know making the first move in this situation is hard, but...someone has to.”
“If...if Adam wanted to talk to us, wouldn’t he have weeks ago?”
“That’s what I thought about Catboy. But as it turns out he was just really hurt, and really confused and needed someone to reach out to.”
The robot got quiet. Deep down, he knew Adam would never go out of his way to ignore the Bats, or him. It wasn’t in his nature. He was mostly worried about the other’s well-being. “I’m so worried about him. N-not communicating is very unlike him. I’m afraid contacting him could be seen as clingy, or even an interruption since I am sure he’s been quite b-busy.” his voice was breaking, eyes now meeting Chainsaw’s.
“Wanting to talk to your best friend for over ten years isn’t clingy...The only way to find out what’s going on is to ask the source.” Chainsaw wasn’t here to mess around. He could tell how much Jimmy was hurting and wasn’t going to watch it any longer. “I’m sure he’s swamped, y’know? Long lost prince, kind of a big deal. They’re crazy for him, I bet. Almost as crazy as we are.” he was attempting to bring up the mood, at this point. To make things less scary. “Text him.”
“I doubt he’s up.” Jimmy retrieved his phone, opening his contacts.
“It’d give him something nice to wake up to.”
The robot agreed with Chainsaw, and typed a message to explain his emotions, in short.
Compose message:
To: Addy 💙
I hope you’re doing well. I would like to call you at your earliest convenience. I miss you dearly. Take care 💙.
“Feeling better?” the guitarist questioned after the robot had put away his phone.
“A little...Still anxious.” Jimmy admitted, eating another cookie. “Thank you, for the encouragement.”
“Eh, don’t mention it.” Chainsaw shrugged, downing what was left of his milk. He then spoke in a sing-song tone. “Friends help each other any way they can.”
This earned a goofy grin from Jimmy. “Glad you're not a lobster."
The guitarist chuckled, collecting the empty mugs and putting them in the sink. “Yeah, yeah. Now we should both hit the hay, or else neither of us will make it to practice...And the Commander expects you.”
The robot laughed a bit as well, standing up. Both Bats headed to their own rooms to recharge for the next morning.
***
Adam woke up gasping slightly, eyes wide as his alarm blared. He shut it off, catching his breath and making sure he hadn’t missed any early-morning business calls. Nope. The meeting was still on and starting in two hours. However, he did have a text message from a contact he hadn’t spoken to in some time.
Message from: Robabe 😍
Sent at 3:15AM.
The prince smiled a little, recalling when the nickname for Jimmy had come about. He opened the message, chest heating up as he read it over. His smile grew as he texted back.
To: Robabe 😍
Work has been a tad stressful. Would it be alright if I called around six tonight? I miss you as well, quite a bit. I…
Adam realized a few tears were forming in his eyes at this point.
I’m so sorry for not saying anything before. Wishing you well and looking forward to catching up 💖.
Adam wiped his tears before putting away his phone and getting ready for the day. He was smiling a little. He had forgotten how pleasant it was to look forward to something. He would be able to survive today comforted by the thought of speaking with the person he had missed the most.
***
Jimmy had been smiling all day. Well, since he had come off of the charging station, anyways. That was around noon. Though nervous, the robot was so glad that Adam had responded, and missed him and wanted to talk. His energy at practice was higher than it had been in months, and by six o’clock he was sat in his room with the phone awaiting a ring.
The prince was worn out, but in a better mood than he had been in quite some time. The meeting had gone well and now he was cleaned up, in pajamas and on his couch where he could relax. To make things better, he was about to call Jimmy...He would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous as he hit the call button.
Almost immediately, the robot answered. “Adam?” his voice rang.
“Jimmy.” Adam’s heart rate picked up. He had missed that voice so much. “Jimmy, I...how’ve you been? I’m so sorry I never called I-I just, work, I.” he cut himself off. “I’m sorry.” he hadn’t quite expected to start breaking up this early on…
“I’ve been okay...Missing you, for sure. Alright other than that.” the robot was transparent, a concerned expression on his features. He could tell Adam wasn’t well. “What’s going on with work?”
“I’ve missed you too.” the royal sucked in a breath, trying to clear his throat. “Being Aquabanian Royalty isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…”
Adam told Jimmy everything. He was so overwhelmed, trying to meet the people’s expectations and make decisions that would best benefit everyone. It was hard, especially since not everyone was too fond of him at the current time.
These things had burdened his heart for weeks, and holding them in had increased the hurt to a new extreme.
Hearing this crushed the robot. Between the words being spoken and the brokeness in Adam’s voice, he could hardly take it. What he wanted to take was Adam into his arms.
“...I never called. I didn’t want to burden anyone else.” the prince breathed. “I didn’t want everyone to worry. I wanted to be strong…”
“Adam, you’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.” Jimmy spoke up. “You’ve been through so much, and you’re still going through so much...yet you haven’t once given up. You’re so hardworking, and your heart is always in the right place. Not only that, but you’re able to keep a level-head even when your emotions are influencing your judgement. You’re selling yourself incredibly short here, Adam. It hurts me. You’re the best kind of person. Aquabania is so lucky to have you..I’m so lucky to have you, as a part of my life.”
A choked sob was heard from Adam’s line. For a moment, he couldn’t speak. Jimmy’s words had been so sincere...Not to mention helpful. When things were put into perspective, it made him realize that maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
Coolant leaked from the robot’s eyes as he heard a sob, clinging to the pillow that was sat in his lap. “I’ll always be here for you. You’re not a burden, you’re an absolute joy.”
The prince had caught his breath and calmed slightly, soothed by the voice of Jimmy. “I'm not the only one who’s lucky...I am beyond serendipitous to have met you. You mean the world to me, you know.” Of course Adam cared for all of the Bats, but the bond he experienced was Jimmy was something different. Something he couldn’t quite describe...The thought of losing it frightened him more than anything, and knowing it was still something they shared brought him such joy. “I have this weekend off. Do you think...would you like to come over? I know it’s a big trip but-”
“I would absolutely love to.” Jimmy’s systems sped up, the coolant ceasing to leak as a wide grin formed on his lips.
Adam was smiling so wide it hurt. “When can I expect your arrival?”
The robot paused, working out everything in his head. “Tomorrow morning, around eight. I’ll make an early departure after charging, and I’ll have my portable charger with me.”
“I can’t wait.”
“I’ll see you then...I love you, Addy.”
“I love you too, Jimmy.”
***