Oh, no. Sleeping alone was ruined for me.



I was out like a light last night, and then this morning, I had never felt better. My back was against the wall of the RV, while I was curled up against my darling Metal. We shared a pillow, my head tucked a little bit under his. The blanket over us was so warm and cozy... I really didn't want to move. This was the first time I went to sleep cuddling Metal and woke up with him still there without anything serious going on.



I took the time to feel his torso. Just like before, I could hear the quiet whirring of his machinery. His body was warm, probably from being with me the whole night, but maybe he overheated a little, hehe. I hoped he enjoyed the peace with me. When I shifted, I felt him stroke my head. He gently ran his fingers through my quills. I didn't want to move...



"Good morning," he said. If anyone could tell I was awake, I guess it would be him.



"Nooo..." I cuddled against him more. "I don't want to get up yet..."



"That's okay. Take your time."



Mm... he smelled like the freshly cleaned bed sheets and a little bit like my shampoo. I must've been against him the whole night. I finally moved up and immediately met with his gaze. I smooched him good morning.



"Did you have a good night?" I asked.



"Yes," he replied. "I was very relaxed. I enjoyed listening to you."



I smirked. "Did you watch me all night? Weirdo."



"No, I turned my vision off."



"I was joking! But actually that's good to know." I smiled more, then gave him a tight hug. "Ahh, let's just live here forever..."



"You will miss your shower at your home."



"Damn, you got me," I said with an airy sigh. "The water pressure's really great in your base, too. I tried it."



"You could live there," he teased back.



"I'd be way too tempted to break into that garden." I nuzzled him. "... Hey, what's up with you collecting other flowers, anyway?"



"Just doing research about the flower we saw from the code. I don't intend to give you any flowers that anyone can grow."



I giggled. "I'm happy with anything you give me, Metal."



"I am only giving you the best." He gently caressed my head. "... But if there is anything specific you want, I will make exceptions."



He was so funny with how he worded that. I knew he didn't actually mean to imply I liked anything less than 'the best' so I decided to not get onto him too much. I lightly pushed against him to roll him to his back, then I got on top of him. I gave him a sweeter kiss before getting off of him to reach the rest of the RV. It was time for me to shower and get dressed.



I think my movement overloaded him a little because it took him a while to get up and I heard his turbine whirring. Ha! Before I disappeared into the little shower stall the RV had, he walked up to me and put his hand on my arm.



"I'm going to go stretch my legs. I'll keep a close eye on the RV from the outside. I'll return to you very soon," He said. He leaned in and kissed me back; that jolt felt a little stronger than the last one!



He was about to walk out, but I tugged his arm and brought him back. "Nope. Wait." He looked at me quizzically before I kissed him again... then again. I did it a few more times just for good measure. I slowly parted my face from his and let out a relieved sigh. "Okay, you can go now."



"... I... no longer want to," he muttered.



I grinned and scritched him under his chin. "I'll give you more attention when you come back," I said.



He averted his eyes as he thought, then eventually, he kissed me one more time before stepping away. I blushed like crazy, but we did finally leave each other alone. He glanced at me one more time before walking out the RV.



I took my time in the shower to reflect on what we've done so far and what's yet to come. I got to learn so much more about Metal yesterday. He predictably didn't have many hobbies since he didn't have too many chances to act upon them, but he still did other things in his downtime. Actually, it sounded like a lot of the sentient robots of Eggman's did. He liked creating a lot more than he let on; whenever he mentioned something on his own, it was about growing or carving or drawing something. He just as easily liked to destroy things and shape them into something else.



When I really thought back, his knack for creating was always a thing. He designed his Neo upgrade all on his own, as well as the giant dragon, Metal Overlord. His pain from defeat took some particularly creative and dangerous forms, and I was interested that he referred to his Neo design as something to 'keep people away', but be 'witnessed'. He wanted everyone to look at him so that everyone could see what he could do. Now, he only seems interested in one person looking at him...



Ahh...! I was blushing again. I redirected my train of thought into thinking of what kind of new activities we could do together that would satisfy his own interests. He did enjoy basic entertainment, movies and games and all that stuff, but I think he preferred to be more active over taking in something else.... Come on, Amy! I was already thinking of next dates and we haven't even returned to Little Planet! We were going to have a fun adventure together and discover something new, whether it be literal or in our hearts.



After my shower, I got dressed in an airy pink and white plaid dress along with some longer white socks. I still thought it'd look good in my pastel sneakers; the sneakers just felt so Little Planet to me, so I couldn't help myself. I straightened my quills out since I wanted to be as cute as possible. I decided to go for an orange-yellow headband to match my shoelaces... And it honestly kinda matched the accents of the Piko Piko Hammer, so I was extra coordinated today. There wasn't really a good mirror in the RV so I hoped I was as cute as I felt.



I made myself some breakfast while occasionally checking out the windows to see if I could spot Metal anywhere. As frustrated as he got at himself, he was pretty good at hiding. I made a little game on my own, checking around to see if I could spot him lurking anywhere.



Zoom! A blue blur with pink light streaked past one of the windows. I laughed. Okay, I found him.



I finished up my food and opened the RV door, stepping outside to let him know I was ready. I looked around, but just as soon as I saw him, he was gone!



Fwoosh! I felt a powerful gust of wind and heard all the rustling of grass around me. I turned around-- there he was!



"Did you enjoy your run?" I asked, grinning.



He took a moment to answer as he looked at me. He gingerly touched the tips of my quills. "Yes," he said. "The area is clear."



"Were you concerned it wouldn't be?"



"You always have to be wary of your surroundings, Rosy." He gazed at me. "... You're pretty."



He made my heart flutter so effortlessly. "Thank you...~" I leaned against him and gave him a little kiss. "Are you ready to go?"



Wah! He picked me up and carried me into the RV. I giggled. For a brief moment, I felt like a princess. We were ready to hit the road again. I decided to drive, but I left room in the seat in case someone wanted extra attention. He reclined in the passenger seat for a while and stared out the window instead.



The drive was very quiet and peaceful. Little Planet was pretty out of the way, so there wouldn't be many people we'd pass by. I talked about whatever was on my mind, about my last weird dream, any random questions, anything, really.



We'd reach Never Lake in about an hour. I just had to be sure to go offroad at a spot without a bunch of cliffs and inclines. I was hoping--



SMACK!



"AHH!" I slammed on the breaks and the RV skidded to a stop. A chao hit the windshield! Metal sprung up in an instant, clearly ready to fight. We both settled when he realized it was just a chao and I realized I wasn't responsible for murder.



I took a second to catch my breath. The chao was staring right at me, eyes bright and determined-- did they fly to the car on purpose?!



"Cha-oh!" I heard the chao call from the windshield. They were a neutral adult, bright blue and with green accents. They were intensely focused on me.



"Geez, I nearly had a heart attack!" I sighed. "Hang on." I walked out of the RV and went to the front. The chao perked their head up, then fluttered over to me, landing at my feet. We stared at each other.



"Why did you do something so dangerous, little guy? You could've been hurt or even killed!" I exclaimed.



"Cha-chao." The chao waddled away.



Um...



Oh, the chao stopped when I wasn't following. The ball above their head turned into an exclamation point. "Cha-OH!!!" they yelled.



"Oh, you want me to follow you? Do you need help?" I frowned and took a step forward.



Metal poked his head out from the door. "What are you doing?" he asked.



"I'll be right back!" I called, running over to the chao. The chao quickened their pace, so I hurried a little more too.



The ball above their head turned into a little spiral. They made a sad murmur, still running as fast as they could, which for me was more of a brisk walk. We eventually reached a river in the middle of a thicket, the other side connected only by an old, scraggly tree trunk. The chao crossed over the tree. I left in such a hurry I forgot my hammer... I wasn't sure I could clear this jump and that rotten thing was not going to support me.



Metal picked me up from behind and carried me over the river as if he were an angel directly summoned by my wishes. "Metal!" I beamed. "Thank you." I didn't know he was following me, but I was glad he tagged along.



"Why are you following the chao?" he asked as he put me down.



"Something must be wrong. They need help," I said, continuing to follow. "Especially to go that far out to find somebody!" Not to mention the method of getting attention...



As we came out of the thicket, we saw a plethora of hills and valleys. The chao guided us up a steep hill-- it was only then I realized this was a cliff. A white chao, also a neutral adult, was staring off the cliff, the ball on their head a spiral too. The blue chao was frantically chattering to us, jumping up and down as they tried to get our attention. I went over to see what the problem was.



For one, this was a really high cliff. There were a bunch of rocks, old grass and a few trees below, but any fall from that height would be awful. I heard a tiny wail and immediately turned my head towards where it came from.



I gasped. "Oh, no..."



A baby chao clung desperately to some dangling vines on the same cliff, too far to climb up and too high to safely drop. Poor thing... who knows how long they were stuck there. Metal scanned over the same time I did. I put my hand on his arm and looked at him.



"Metal, I can't get the chao safely without my hammer. You have to save them."



"... Me?" he asked.



"Please," I said, clapping my hands together. "The baby is in danger! I don't think any of these chao can fly or climb for very long, so the poor thing is stuck there."



Metal briefly averted his eyes, then he flew over the cliff. I peered over to watch him. He descended towards the baby chao and gently took them off the vines. The baby cried and wildly flailed until they realized they were being rescued, then just as quickly settled. Metal flew back up. The baby, light blue with white accents, clung tightly to him, sniveling and still with tears in their eyes. The ball on their head turned to a heart. Aww...



Metal put the chao on the ground a little bit away from the cliff edge, causing the other two chao to rush over to them. All three of them had hearts, holding and cuddling each other. I put my hands over my own heart as I watched them.



"You reunited a family!" I beamed. I was about to cry, seriously. They were so cute, so happy to be with each other. I glanced over to Metal, who had his full focus on the chao as well. His head was tilted as he watched them. I kissed him on the cheek, which had him turn his head towards me. "Thank you for doing that."



"It was nothing. Literally." He looked back at the chao. "That was no effort."



"Not everything has to be," I explained. "You did something they couldn't and you helped them." I smiled more, leaning my head against him.



"Oo-ooh," the baby cooed, crawling hurriedly over to Metal. Metal tilted his head down to stare. The baby, still with a heart above their head, gently placed something at Metal's feet. He picked it up; it was a small, smooth rock.



"Aw, you got a gift for your work," I giggled. "That's so sweet."



He stared at the rock for so long that I thought he was stuck. Eventually, though, he moved, putting the rock into the panel on his other arm. He leaned down and slid the baby away from him, back to their parents. I think the baby was going to crawl back over to him, but the parents held them to give all their attention. Our job here was done.



I held Metal's hand and walked away with him, but not before giving the cute little family a wave goodbye. "Be safe!" I told them.



I noticed Metal was more quiet than his usual quiet. I wondered what he was thinking about, but I thought it'd be good to let him have his moment.



"Can you drive? I think I'm going to eat something when we get back," I said.



He swept me off my feet and rocketed away. I laughed as I clung to him. We were back at the RV before I even noticed! I walked into the RV first after he put me down, but I realized he didn't immediately follow me. I checked on him; he lingered outside for a moment, staring at nothing in particular. He finally joined me and went for the driver's seat.



Okay, I was done giving him his moment. "I thought it was cute you kept the rock," I said.



"What makes you think I'm keeping it?" he asked, settling in front of the steering wheel.



"Uh, by putting it in the same arm my letter is in, is what," I replied. "You have a fan now! That chao is gonna grow up and remember the handsome blue metal hedgehog who saved their life."



"The creature will remember nothing," he immediately replied.



I gave a playful shrug. "You'd be surprised."



"And the rock is not staying in my arm. It's inconvenient to travel with multiple things in my hands."



"You could've just thrown it away," I pointed out, smiling.



"You are trying to bait me into explaining myself and I won't. I do not have to share everything with you, Rosy."



Oooh, sensitive. "Well, just know this whole side quest made me love you more." I walked to the driver's seat and rubbed the top of his head.



He was quiet again, but I could tell he was in a good mood. I made myself some food while he started driving, then I joined him in the same seat later to annoy him some after I ate.



We eventually went off the road completely since we were in the fields not too far from Never Lake. I got a bit nervous and excited the closer we got.



"I didn't want us to be distracted on our date, but I have additional information about Little Planet you deserve to be aware of," Metal said to me, his focus on the terrain ahead.



He told me that Belle received a file that likely came from someone from the future, and he also mentioned being unable to go to the future at all. That was, uh, fairly worrying. Metal's theory was that something was disrupting the pathways to the future rather than something worse like the future not existing, but honestly, so much horrible stuff has happened in our lives that it wouldn't surprise me at all if there was some kind of world-ending threat.



As an aside, I loved listening to him explain stuff. I sighed as I leaned my head against his.



"I thought you would be more disturbed," he said.



"It's concerning, but I just enjoy your voice, that's all."



He didn't reply, but he removed one of his hands from the steering wheel and reached back to touch my head. He scritched behind one of my ears, which I liked way more than I would ever tell him.



I let out a soft sigh. "Something's definitely going on, but let's still try to have fun with our date. I'd love to stay the whole day this time," I said.



"Me too," he replied. "... If we do see anyone else, I want to study them."



"That's fair..." I leaned my head against him. "Is it bad that I don't want anything to happen?"



"No," he said. "Dates are fun. Encountering people from the future is not."



He had such a simple yet funnily concise way with his words sometimes. "Well, last time something happened, you got a voice. I have to say I'm a big fan of that, at least."



He felt my head a bit more, then he placed his other hand back on the wheel. I relaxed with him and watched the scenery ahead of us.



We passed by those same gargantuan chains that used to be attached to Little Planet, all broken and mossed over. They were even more beautiful up close-- and way bigger than I remembered! Metal navigated around the chains, and just over the next hill... there it was.



Never Lake was still so breathtaking to me, and Little Planet floated above it like an ethereal crowned jewel. Metal parked by a single chain-link closest to the lake. Honestly, he chose a nice, scenic spot even though I knew he did it to get some cover from the sky.



The main part of our date was about to start! I was so excited! I double-checked everything on me and didn't forget my Piko Piko Hammer this time. I eagerly left the RV, Metal floating down beside me. I jumped into his arms whether he was ready for me or not.



"Where do you want to go first?" he asked me. "There are seven major zones... Though I guess we've only been to two of them together," he said quietly in thought.



"And I've only been to three zones total. Let's explore it all!" I beamed.



He took off into the air while I held onto him tight. Finally, we were going to Little Planet!