Metal and Belle having a fight was a new one for me. Not only did they fight, but, like... neither of them wanted to approach the other.



Belle regretted what she yelled at Metal and she wanted to apologize. I asked her what he said to her, and she began recounting it and then she got mad all over again. She tried to get me to see where she was coming from-- and I did!-- but she wasn't there to see exactly what happened or how bad it got. I couldn't properly describe to her what it was like to face future Metal. I also don't think she grasped how important Metal's true form was to him and how devastating of a loss it was.



Metal wasn't exactly a sweetheart to Belle during their argument either. His temper got to him as he explained his thoughts, and since she didn't agree with him, he was getting more agitated. I thought he'd ask her about removing his programming after she got caught up with everything...



After Metal left from their argument and I talked to Belle for a little while, she left, too. I didn't know when she'd come back... Hopefully soon. The two of them probably needed the time to cool off and settle. I wanted to help them and get us all back on track... Especially if Metal's future self and his two friends were going to do something to us and the world, we needed to, like... figure this out together. Ugh... Maybe we did need Sonic and everyone else. This whole thing was so messy...



I needed to clear my head, too. The next day, I let Metal know I was going to do some stuff in town and clean my house a bit so it didn't get all dusty. While he wasn't in the best mood, at least he was sweet to me. He responded well when I kissed and hugged him. I'd miss him even though I'd be coming back before the end of the day. Ahh...



I went to my house first and started cleaning up some. I tried thinking of how I could get Metal and Belle to talk to each other again and hopefully make up. Honestly, though, I was kinda stressed being by myself. I didn't have any good ideas and sometimes I thought too much about Metal not being here.



... I had an idea. Well, not one that helped Metal and Belle...



I called the detective agency. After a few rings, I heard a very eager voice on the other end:



"Chaotix Detective Agency! You have questions, we have, uh, answers!" Charmy greeted on the other end.



"Hey, Charmy. Sorry, not a customer."



"Hi Amy! That's okay," he replied cheerfully.



"I do want to hang out, though. Are you up for that ice cream I owe you?" I asked.



He gasped out. "Yes! Do I get--" His voice faded and I heard a few ruffled sounds on the other end.



"Amy?" asked Vector. "What are you callin' for?"



My enthusiasm tanked just like that. "Charmy wanted to go out a little while ago and I have some free time, so... Is it alright if I go and get some ice cream with him?"



"No, we're all busy over here. Lots of things to do. Sorry."



I heard Charmy whine in the background: "Huh?! But nothing's going on! I want some ice cream...!"



I pretended to not hear Charmy since I was picking up Vector's tone. "Oh... I didn't realize it was a busy time for you--"



"Another call's comin' in. Gotta go!" Vector immediately hung up. Uh... yikes. The answer was loud and clear: they didn't want me to be anywhere near them.



I put my phone down and resumed cleaning for the next while. I mopped the floors, dusted my shelves, organized my...



I had a photo of Metal at the botanical gardens on the top of one of my shelves. I picked up the frame and stared at it for a while. I loved how he looked at the flowers...



I put the photo down and got out my phone again. I dug into my saved pictures, flipping through all of them... I was looking for a specific one.



There it was... I stopped at the photo I took of me and Metal in his flower garden. He was in his true form, holding me, looking politely at the camera. I was grinning with my hand on the side of his muzzle. We were so cute...



...



Knock, knock, knock!



I quickly put my phone away and took a deep breath. I walked over and opened the door.



"... Charmy?"



"Hi Amy!" Charmy waved at me with both hands, then buzzed excitedly in a circle. "Let's get some ice cream! Ice cream time! You swore twice so you owe me two flavors. One of them was a big swear, too."



I blinked. "Uh, wait. I thought Vector said no because you were busy."



"He changed his mind 'cuz promises are more important than work. Right?" His eyes sparkled as he stared at me.



... I didn't exactly buy what Charmy was saying, but he was here and I really needed to talk to someone other than myself. I would have to take him back anyway and deal with Vector and Espio, so we might as well have gotten some ice cream before then. "Uh, okay. Sure, let's go."



"Yippee!!" Charmy cheered excitedly and did a cute little kick in the air. I made sure I had everything I needed on me, then I walked out and locked the front door.



We walked to the ice cream place I had in mind. Charmy was eagerly humming about ice cream the whole time and bouncing in the air. He nearly went too far ahead a few times and I had to call him back so he wouldn't wander away from me.



He was a really cute kid. It was hard for me to be down while watching him... He radiated endless energy. He nearly flew by the ice cream place, so I whistled to get his attention. He immediately went back to my side and curiously looked up.



"Ooh! I've never been here before," he said excitedly.



"It's my favorite ice cream place!" I replied. I guided him inside, and together, we looked at the menu full of different ice cream flavors.



"Oh, no...!" He whined aloud. "I can only choose two?! Can I get toppings? Sprinkles? Ooh! Chocolate syrup?"



I smirked at him, then looked at what we had... Hmm. "Charmy, how about I get you something special? I'm kinda in the mood for one, too..."



His eyes sparkled again. "What? What?"



I talked to the cashier and ordered two banana splits. Charmy gasped aloud when he realized what I ordered. By the look on his face, it far exceeded his expectations, plus, it had sprinkles and chocolate syrup on it too... And three flavors, in addition to a banana, some cherries, and even bits of strawberries. Wow, I'd devour this thing. I kinda needed it.



"Wanna pick our seats?" I asked Charmy. He eagerly nodded and flew off to another part of the restaurant. I patiently waited for our food, then walked over to where he was when I got our order.



Charmy picked a lonely corner by one of the windows. He wiggled in his seat... I could barely see him above the table. I smiled as I put the ice cream down. He immediately reached, but I lightly tapped his hand to get him to stop.



"Wait," I said.



"Awwh!"



I grabbed a booster seat for him and urged him onto it. He politely climbed up, then wiggled his fingers excitedly as he stared at his banana split. I gave him a spoon, then I sat down and moved my own banana split closer to myself. "Okay, you can dig in," I said.



"Yay!" Charmy did not hesitate in the slightest. He eagerly tried each flavor of ice cream, got a bunch of fruit, then eagerly devoured what was in his bowl.



I did the same. Ugh... It was so good. I hadn't had some ice cream in forever. I focused on eating for a while.



"Hey, Amy?" Charmy asked. Wow, his bowl was already half-gone.



"Hmm?" My mouth was still full but I kinda didn't care.



"So, is..." He suddenly whispered. "Is your boyfriend still a bad guy?"



It made sense that Charmy would be naturally curious about Metal... I didn't mind answering him. "He's not a good guy like you, but... he's not really a bad guy anymore, either. At least, not in my opinion," I replied.



"Ohh... So he's not gonna shoot lasers through buildings and make everything robots?"



I chuckled. "No, I don't think he will." I took the time to eat some more.



Charmy nodded thoughtfully, then ate some, too. He lifted his head up and looked at me. "Is he only nice when he's Mr. Kai, or is he always nice now?"



"It depends," I said, smiling at him. "He doesn't like a lot of people, but he's kind to people he does like... uh, mostly."



"Ooh, I see..." Charmy thought for a little while more, eyes narrowed and his spoon still in his mouth. He brought his focus back to me and took the spoon out. "Do you hang out with," he whispered again, "Eggman?"



I shook my head. "No... He doesn't know that I'm his creation's girlfriend. It would be pretty bad if he found out, I think. Worse than you guys finding out."



"Huh? Is us finding out that bad?"



I frowned. "Maybe not you, Charmy, but... There's a few reasons I haven't told anybody. It's not that I necessarily blame people for not being a fan of my boyfriend, but no one trusts me anymore... No one trusts that he could do the right thing, even though I've seen him do good with my own eyes."



Charmy's eyes widened. "He's done good?"



"Yeah, plenty. And, with the way he makes me feel... That's a lot of good already." I sighed and leaned one of my elbows against the table. I more casually ate my banana split. "Not everyone is born good, Charmy, but... I fully believe everyone can be good eventually. They can be good where it matters."



"Y'know, I agree!" Charmy said with a confident nod. "I think everyone can be good, too."



"I'm glad... You learned that much earlier than I did," I replied. "I was just as judgmental towards him before I learned more about him. I regret feeling like that... But I can't linger on past feelings like that, you know? Trust me, I get how your team feels..."



Charmy tilted his head a little as he watched me, eyes bright and lacking all malice. He finished off his banana split... I guessed it really hit the spot for him. I was glad for that, too.



"I have a question for you too, Charmy."



"Yeah?"



I tried to think of how to phrase it. "Have you ever gotten in a fight with Espio and you wouldn't talk to him until someone else stepped in? Like Vector, for example."



He laughed. "Oh yeah."



"Can you tell me what happened?"



Charmy nodded. He was paying too close attention to my banana split, so I moved it closer to myself and ate a little faster. He played with his spoon as he recalled one of the fights he had. "Well... One time we had a really bad fight about figuring out this case, but we couldn't agree on anything. I called Espio dumb, but I didn't mean it. He made me so mad I was gonna... rrrgh! I was gonna sting him!"



I nodded as I listened. He was eyeing one of my cherries-- I ate it. I knew this kid would try to sneak one.



"Aww... Um, so Vector made us have some time apart, and then after a little while, he brought us into the living room and he made us sit down and talk about our feelings without yelling. Espio went first about how he was upset because it seemed like I didn't trust his intu...his, uh, smartness, then Vector told me to say my feelings. I was upset 'cuz we always go with Espio's ideas, when I have good ideas too. Sometimes, I feel like no one takes me seriously because I'm the youngest." Charmy crossed his arms, no longer focused on my banana split. He was into the story he was telling.



"What'd Vector do?" I asked.



"He suggested we do little bits of both our ideas, and he gave his own idea to play with ours too. We all agreed. Then, he made us say sorry to each other and then we hugged and got some take-out. The end!" he beamed.



"I see..." I smiled at him. "I'm dealing with a similar situation... I think I'm the Vector," I said with a sigh.



"Oh! With my advice, it'll all work out. I give great advice!" he said, grinning.



I giggled. "You do, Charmy. Thank you!" As a little reward, I gave him my last cherry. He gasped and eagerly ate it, nearly eating the stem too. He spat it out last second and coughed, making me roll my eyes. I picked the stem and threw it in his bowl, then focused on finishing up my banana split.



"Don't forget to get take-out-- that's the most important part. And get lots of egg rolls."



I nodded with him. "I'll definitely do something in a similar spirit."



After our talk, I finished up my banana split and leaned back with a sigh. We cleaned up our tables and went to put the bowls where we were supposed to, and then we walked outside together.



"Is there anything else you wanna do while we're out?" I asked, smiling at Charmy.



"I wanna hang out more, but I don't want Vector and Espio to worry either..."



I lifted my brow. "They'd worry?"



"Uhhh... Well!" He laughed nervously. "Okay, um... So I lied about Vector changing his mind... I snuck out of my room when they thought I was taking a nap. I'm sorry, Amy... I just really wanted ice cream and I didn't get why they wouldn't let me go."



My hunch was right, then. "It's alright... Thank you for telling me the truth. Let's get you back home as soon as possible," I sighed back. "We don't want them thinking you got kidnapped or something."



"Okay. Thank you for the ice cream," he softly replied.



I patted Charmy on the head. "Of course! Promise fulfilled. I'll do my best to not swear."



"... If you do it again, do I get more ice cream?"



I chuckled. "I think we'll just get ice cream again sometime without worrying about me making any mistakes. Alright?"



"Oh! Okay!" He cheered up just as quickly. "Whew... I'm full..." He lowered to the ground and decided to walk beside me instead of fly. I held his hand so we could stay together.



We walked in silence for a brief moment... I sighed again. "Charmy, I just wanted to say thanks for treating me as you always do. I kinda needed it."



"Huh? Why would I treat you any different?"



"That's why Espio and Vector didn't really want you to go. They're scared of what my boyfriend can do, so they don't know where I stand. It's ridiculous to me," I explained, frowning.



Charmy squinted as he thought. "... I mean... Are you still a good guy?" he asked.



"Of course I am. I'll always work hard to do the right thing for everybody and protect our home."



"Sounds good to me!" That was basically all Charmy needed. Wow, I adored this kid. I wished more people trusted how he viewed others, too... Not everything was about inexperience or being young. Some people were just better at reading others, an unexplained wisdom. Was Charmy wise? You know what, maybe he was.



I looked down at him and saw him picking his nose. "Charmy!"



"Whaaat?" He wiped his hand. "Sorry!"



The Chaotix Detective Agency wasn't too far, so we got there in no time at all. I knocked on the front door and stood hand-in-hand with Charmy.



The door opened, Espio on the other end. He stared at me. "Amy, why are you--" His eyes dipped down to Charmy. "Charmy?!"



"Hiya, Es," Charmy gave him a little wave and nervously chuckled.



"Y-you were supposed t--" Espio briefly looked behind him, then back at Charmy. "Why are you out here? Why are you with Amy?"



"We got ice cream..." Charmy shuffled his feet in the dirt, still clutching his hand around mine.



I sighed. "He said that Vector was okay with it, so we went--"



"Charmy, get inside right now," he practically hissed. I saw Vector peek in from a ways away. The three of them briefly met in the middle of the room, the older two scolding Charmy heavily. Charmy hung his head while they exclaimed about him sneaking out and possibly getting hurt. He was ordered to go back into his room, this time for real.



"Bye, Amy," Charmy called, giving me another wave. He buzzed towards some stairs near the back of the building.



Espio went to the front of the door again while Vector followed Charmy, probably to make sure he was actually staying there. Espio glared daggers at me. "What were you thinking, taking him out?!"



I squinted. "It was just for ice cream. He said Vector changed his mind and I promised Charmy a little while ago I would take him, so I did. Do I have to double-check everything now?" I asked somewhat sarcastically.



"Yes!" he snapped. "He could've gotten hurt, or worse."



"Wh--" I blinked. "He was with me, Espio. And isn't he sent alone to go scouting all the time?"



He stared at me for a brief moment, but that moment was already too long. "Was he around Charmy?"



"What?" I couldn't believe what he just asked. Maybe he didn't know that Metal got reverted to his base form, but the way he phrased it still made me want to scream. "No, it was just me and Charmy." I wanted to ask him why it even mattered, but that would send us in a conversation that'd piss me off even more.



"Mm."



"... Okay, I'm sick of this," I said, scowling. "We're not going to do this whole passive aggressive spiel. Tell me what your problem is. Let's actually talk like adults."



Vector appeared at the doorway. "We should," he said. "Let's continue this inside."



Espio hesitantly opened the door wider for me, then the both of them walked deeper into the room. I walked in and shut the door behind me. We were in their living room, small and cluttered with papers, envelopes, and other books and magazines. There was a larger couch taking up a good portion of the room and a small TV on the opposite wall. Sometimes this place was slightly cleaner, sometimes it wasn't. They were too preoccupied to do any cleaning this time, I guessed.



I started off to get my stance clear. "First thing's first: I can tell you were worried about Charmy, and I'm sorry for contributing to that. But... it was just ice cream. You do understand I'm the same person, right? That I watched over Charmy before?" I held my arms out.



"We know..." Vector sighed. "Look, Amy, it's just not a great time."



"Why, because you're busy?" I asked, raising my brow.



"Uh, yeah..."



"Charmy lied because he wanted some ice cream. What did you lie for?" I asked.



"That was wrong, too," Vector said. "We should have been honest and talked this out instead. So... let's do it. Look, yeah, you droppin' all the info you did is an awful lot to take in and we wanted some time. You have to understand that too, right?"



"Yes, but I can explain anything that confuses you," I replied. "I was doing my best to before, but neither of you were listening to me because you were too angry about how you faced off with Metal in the past."



Espio stepped in: "It is the perfect amount of anger. Metal Sonic is one of the most dangerous enemies we've faced, Eggman's number one enforcer. And then you announce you know all of this extra information because you're dating him?"



I clenched my fists and tried to keep it together. I hated his tone, but this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. "We got involved from the very start and the whole situation is confusing for us, too. We're doing what we can. I know it's hard for you to believe, but Metal wants to protect the present because it's a time of happiness for him, for us. He was even working independently from Eggman."



Vector and Espio's eyes widened as they stared at me.



Espio scoffed aloud. "The same one that went on a grand search for Eggman and stole the Master Emerald to achieve his mission, right? That didn't even happen that long ago," he sneered.



"He literally can't act against Eggman. They have a weird, messed up relationship. What else would you expect?" I asked with a sigh. "We weren't dating then. Nothing was going on when we started dating--"



"Until these other robots," Espio said, firm.



"Aren't you supposed to be all polite and proper?" I sneered back. "Why are you interrupting me?"



"You completed a statement," he replied matter-of-fact. He was really pissing me off.



"I wasn't done. Nothing happened until Eggman took control of Cava. My Metal-- the one in the present-- didn't have anything to do with that. Cava only listened to Eggman because of the crystal embedded in his chest... When he broke free, he only cared about fighting Eggman. You remember that, and I'm sure Sonic told you everything he recalled when he sent you on this job."



Vector and Espio crossed their arms and didn't reply to me. I was right.



"Sonic, I'm sure, believes there's something positive about Cava we can discover. So, tell me. Do you doubt Sonic, too?" I asked.



"We're gathering information the best we can. We ain't here to tell anyone how to feel about the robots," Vector replied.



"Clearly," I said with a bored look. "The information I gave you is supposed to help. I wanted to figure this out without a bunch of people's involvement, so that's why I wanted Rouge to help me, because she wouldn't try to get everyone wrapped into this mess. The plan was to keep Cava from getting into Eggman's hands again, and then we would've talked to him to learn more. Cava had different plans, and now he probably got trapped by Eggman again," I sighed.



Vector's eyes widened. "You don't know what happened to Cava?"



"I know he nearly killed Metal," I sneered. "He's fine, not that you care."



Both of them looked surprised.



"Neo Metal didn't destroy him?" Espio asked in emphasis.



"No. Why are you focused so much on that?" I asked.



Vector sighed. "Neo Metal is a formidable foe, so we're surprised he didn't get in a few scraps, is all."



I crossed my arms too. "Cava is from the future, like I said. The amount of tech on him would probably make Tails's brain explode. He's really powerful and that's all the more reason to figure out why attacking the past version of his creator was necessary to him."



"What I understand the least is why you wouldn't want any of your friends involved, especially since you're so insistent on your ideas being good ones," Espio said while gesturing to me.



"You know why I didn't want any of my friends involved? Because you all see a scary, evil robot whose goal is only to destroy. Metal is just as involved in figuring this out as the rest of us, but you demonstrated your inability to get past that."



Espio growled. "You phrase it like it's some trivial thing!"



"You proudly worked with Eggman before, but Metal is somehow an issue?!"



"We worked with Eggman to take Neo Metal down!" Espio retorted in a slightly louder tone.



I stomped one of my feet. "This is different! Also unlike Eggman, Metal has no ulterior motives."



"How do you know that?" Espio crossed his arms.



"Oh my God. Listen to me, please. We were already dating when we learned about Cava." I refused to mention Lonnie to these guys. "What, you think he got some message from the future before then?"



I could see them revving up a response. I held my hand up.



"Cava came from Little Planet and we were seeing each other before it even came into orbit," I said along with the roll of my eyes. "There's something you have to understand, and it's that I know more about Metal than you do. The only person who could possibly compare is Sonic, and need I remind you, Sonic believed in Metal more than once."



The two of them were incredibly quiet. Maybe that got through to them...



Espio glared at me. "Sonic isn't always right."



"What the hell is your problem?" I asked. I threw my arms out, frustrated, and I was running out of reasonable things to say.



"You're using Sonic as this magic phrase that'll get us to eagerly agree to everything. He isn't always right. He tries to do the right thing, yes. But his very beliefs in others, such as Mr. Tinker before he regained his memories and reverted to Eggman, is exactly what led to catastrophes such as the Metal Virus. His belief in Metal Sonic is similarly not without its flaws." He scoffed at me. "I'm starting to realize you don't recognize your own flaws."



"Excuse me?"



Vector looked nervous, but he didn't stop the chameleon from running his mouth: "You have been open about your love for Sonic since we first met--"



"Espio," I interrupted, stern.



He made the mistake of continuing: "Your infatuation for him only became stronger and more public over time. Am I to conclude the only reason it ever stopped was because you suddenly fell for-- what-- Metal Sonic?"



"I'm warning you right now. Shut up," I growled.



He clenched his fists and kept his strong glare on me. "No, you need to hear this for your own good. Have you considered that you are so insistent on Metal Sonic being on our side because you want to pretend he's a Sonic that reciprocates with you?"



That was it. He said it. He said what everyone would think when finding out. He was the one stupid enough to say it to my face. I was so angry I was shaking. I was literally seeing red. I felt my heart pounding and my hearing was muffled.



I stepped closer to Espio. We stood off. He wouldn't expect this--



I punched him in the face. He got thrown back onto the coffee table, leaving a mess of papers in his wake. I heard Vector scream something out but his words sounded like white noise to me. I lunged for Espio again, but this time he blocked me and tried to push me off.



"You want to say that again?!" I screamed at him.



He forced me off with his legs and scrambled up from the floor. "Amy, stop!" he yelled.



"No!" I screamed again. I jumped at him-- he tried blocking me. I broke his stance and managed to hit him again. "You don't know anything about me! You don't know anything about Metal!"



"This only proves your irrationality even further!" he yelled back at me. "Stop, or I'll fight back!"



"Do it! Punch me!" I swung at him again as I said it. "I'm sure it'll feel good since I'm not exactly good to you anymore, am I?! Or maybe you don't want to fight some delusional girl?!"



Vector's voice pierced through mine-- "What are you doing?! Stop!!"



I wasn't going to! I didn't care anymore. I wasn't going to deal with this, not this, not now, not ever. Espio forced me back and swung too-- I dodged and kneed him in the stomach, then threw him at a wall. He bounced off the wall and lunged at me with a kick. He knocked me back against the couch and made me tip it over. I rolled backwards, then launched at him in a spinball.



I hit him into the TV, making Vector cry out. "NO! Not the--" Didn't care what he was saying.



"You think I still love Sonic?! You think Metal is just going along with it?!" I screamed. "Metal's love is the most real thing I ever experienced. I haven't dated Metal for a year and the time we spent together--" I started crying, but honestly it was because I was so mad. "-- has already made up for all the years of my life wasted by wanting to be with someone who's married to the wind!" I balled my fists again and just began swinging.



He kept deflecting me, but I didn't even care about dodging anymore. I just wanted to hit him back.



"Amy--"



"Shut up!" I screamed. "I don't care what you have to say! You think it's all fake, right?! You think every date was fake? You think the hours he spent cooking food for my birthday, decorating my cake, was fake? You think all the flowers he gave me over the years was fake?! You think every embrace, every kiss, every 'I love you', every confession--"



Vector pulled me off of Espio. His hand was big enough to clasp around my waist and keep me in the air. I was trembling. I didn't-- I didn't know what to think. I was so mad... I was so...



I was sobbing. Espio was on the ground and I didn't even remember knocking him down. He stared at me with shock, and then he looked just as upset. I covered my face with my hands and kept crying.



"The only way someone could love me back is if it was fake, right?" I sucked in a shaky breath. "That's what you all believe..."



Vector slowly put me back down, and then I collapsed on the ground. I couldn't move, couldn't do anything else. I heard Vector say something: "Amy, we don't think--..." He sighed. "Hang on." I heard his footsteps go to the other side of the room. "C'mon, Es."



I heard Espio breathe like he was about to say something, but he didn't. They went to some other part of the house, and after a few minutes, Vector came back down. I wiped my face and looked around the room... It was a disaster. There were papers everywhere, curtains fallen off the windows, couch knocked over, TV... broken and sideways.



I didn't mean to ruin anything of the Chaotix's... I was just as stupid.



"Amy," Vector said, voice soft. "I think it's a good idea for you to go and cool off. We'll, uh... Keep your information in mind. Alright?"



I had nothing to say to him. I got up and went for the front door.



"Are you--... Do you, uh..." He couldn't get the full question out. Probably asking if I was okay.



"No," I said. "Sorry." I left through the doorway.



I made the walk to Metal's base.



By the time I got there, it was night. Honestly, I wasn't sure how late it was. I just knew I couldn't see anything when I went into the cave entrance.



I lost my footing and tripped against a stray rock. I was so disoriented that I fell down, unable to save my stance. I kinda just...



I lay back and cried in the dark. I couldn't even think straight-- what was the door code? My brain was so frazzled... I turned to my side and buried my face in my hands, sobbing to no one. Maybe I shouldn't see anyone... But I didn't want to be alone. I didn't know.



Krr-chunk!



The distinct sound of the door opening was behind me. I heard a few clunky footsteps... then I heard a burst of air. Claws gently touched my head. I rolled to my back and moved my hands down. Metal's glowing eyes were looking right at me. I could see some of his silhouette from the light of the open door.



He picked me up and I just as quickly wrapped my arms over his shoulders. I leaned my head against his. "M... Metal..." I wanted to say something more, but I couldn't even... I didn't remember what I wanted to say.



He held me a little tighter and walked me down the familiar halls of the base. I closed my eyes and listened to him, how his joints sounded, his vibrations. I felt his back spine, slightly warm from how he used his turbine just a minute ago.



We ended up in the bathroom. God, I looked awful in the mirror. I wiped my face again and focused on my breathing. At least I wasn't crying anymore.



He grabbed a washcloth, dampened it with warm water, then very gently cleaned my face. I kept my eyes closed. After a minute, he cleaned my arms and my legs. When I opened my eyes again, I saw the washcloth had been browned by dirt. He rinsed the dirt out, twisted all the water out of the washcloth, then checked me out from behind. I felt the washcloth on my back next, and as he went up to my neck, he moved even more gently.



He briefly brushed my quills out with his claws, lightly batting them to flick away any lingering dirt. When he was done, he threw the washcloth into the sink, then walked out of the room.



I dared myself to look in the mirror again. I looked like I've been crying alright... But I was clean.



Metal returned just a moment later, this time with one of my favorite nightgowns and big, fluffy socks. He put them on the counter, then gestured me to show him my hands. Just like that, he slid my gloves off.



...



He helped me into my pajamas. When I saw my dress on the floor, I realized how dirty it actually was. He helped me stand up, then guided me to the bed. He left the room again.



I lay down and hugged one of the pillows tightly. I wished I was more exhausted. I wished my body screamed at me to sleep. I just wanted to sleep...



A few minutes later, Metal came back. I heard a clatter beside me, making me lift my head. I looked at my nightstand.



... He brought me some tea.



I didn't know why that did it. Streams of huge tears went down my face. I took a deep breath, trying to stop, but I wiped my eyes and I just kept crying.



Metal sat beside me and stayed close. He didn't touch me for a little while... He might've been worried he made me cry. I hugged him and let my head fall on one of his shoulders. His arms wrapped around me... He held me with all the patience in the world.



"Sometimes I hate Sonic too," I cried quietly. Words I never thought I would say to anyone.



Metal let go of me after a moment, making me sit up. He reached for a notebook he kept on his nightstand and wrote something down to show me.





I unintentionally smiled a little. "It's not like me, is it?" I asked.



He shook his head.



"... It's not his fault." I hung my head. "It's all my fault... My old feelings, how I didn't listen. He didn't make me lonely. I made myself lonely. But in my worst moments, I blame him instead. And afterwards, I feel so... I feel... awful." I sighed out, wiping one of my eyes. "I don't think I'm a good person after all."



Metal stared at me for a while. He wrote something very short:





"Clearly I'm not if I have to do so much to convince others I can be trusted," I said back. "And... how could I have these horrible feelings? How could I-- I fought one of my friends today. I ruined the Chaotix's home." I leaned down more and grabbed my head with my hands. "God, I am awful..." My tears trailed down my nose and dropped onto the blankets.



The top of my head got whacked by his notebook. I lifted up my head and jerked myself back when Metal shoved the notebook to my face.





I smiled again. He took the notebook back and wrote some more.





"I don't deserve you, Metal..." I sighed. "I made you wait for so long... I hurt you. And you... you give so much back to me--"



He whacked the top of my head with the notebook again.





He feverishly scribbled more:





I laughed a little. "Yeah... we take turns, remember?" I sighed again. I think I was done crying for real. "I love you so much, Metal... I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I... I want to be so selfish. I want a big, fancy wedding, even if no one is going to be there. I want a-- a cake that's five layers, filled to the brim with sweet filling. And then we'll retire in a huge house, surrounded by nature and a massive field of flowers..." I hugged him tightly and hid my face against him. "Will you take care of me?"



He held me back and gently squeezed me against him. He let go only to write something down, but I didn't let go of him. He let me stay there for a minute. I just wanted to feel him.



Finally, I moved so I could read what he wrote down.





...





I chuckled. I reached over to the nightstand and picked up my cup of tea, which was still pretty hot. I gently blew into the cup, then sipped. It was... huh, this wasn't a flavor I brought over, but I did really like it... Fruity, but not overpowering at all. Definitely herbal tea.



"Thank you... It's delicious," I said, smiling at him.



He watched me. His eyes turned into horizontal bars, clearly showing he was pleased with me. After a few seconds, he wrote something else:





"... Wait, did you blend the ingredients for tea?" I asked, my eyes widened.



He nodded.



"Metal..." I softly smiled. "It was silly of me to ask if you'd take care of me... You always have. You go above and beyond. I'll do my best to be the person you see me as."



He squinted at me. I giggled again and had a feeling of what he was writing next.





"Too bad..." I leaned over and gently kissed him. His eyes briefly glitched out... It was so cute. He was the cutest. "... I wish I could make you taste this tea like when we had the bubble tea."



His turbine started whirring. I grinned, taking a bigger sip of the tea this time, then putting it back down.



I kissed at him a few more times. "I can try, right?"



He threw the notebook off the bed. I laughed, pressing myself against him. We held each other, kissed each other... I felt like I belonged right here.



All I needed was Metal. I needed him and nothing else.