Today could've been better... And there was still a lot of it left. I failed in convincing Metal to out our relationship to Sonic, and even worse, Metal had a pretty good point as to why. He wanted to reveal us on our terms without the pressure of anything else. I wish I remembered that back at the airship. I wouldn't have fought Espio... I wouldn't have taken away that choice from Metal.



The talk we had when I came back from the fight helped me so much, and then I distracted myself with figuring out the future stuff. Then there was the ongoing deal with Metal's programming, which should've been way easier to solve than it was... Belle and Metal were going to figure that out, so everyone had something to do and my mind drifted back to what I did.



Metal didn't want me to beat myself up. Way easier said than done. I felt so heavy. I wondered if I was actually just making everything worse. I could at least go to Angel Island for Belle, then the next day, Metal and I would have a happier date, a brief pause from all the stress.



I wanted to apologize to Metal, really apologize for everything. To be the person he saw me as, I needed to start there. I'd think of ways to make it up to him while exploring Angel Island.



Sure, I could write another letter... I mean, I would anyway. I haven't given him one in a little while and it would be nice to sit down and focus on my feelings. I wanted to do something else different, though. What would he not expect, yet really appreciate?



An intense thought briefly flashed through my head. I... I could be the one who proposes. That'd make him actually pass out... Wow, that would be so cute, though. I wouldn't know what I'd propose with-- wait!! No! Bad Rosy. I wanted to apologize to him! Th-that wasn't an apology!



I could show him my love was serious without doing something so drastic! I had to reel it back. My teen years were starting to show through. All this excitement and stress was getting to me.



Huh... Teen years. Maybe I could fight him. He did appreciate fighting... The last time we sparred was hardly anything, it was more chatting. He was distancing himself from Sonic more, and considering he was breaking off from Eggman, there would be even less chances for those two to square off. I kinda had to pick up the slack, help Metal with his eagerness to fight in a healthy way. Maybe, sometime after our adventure date, I could surprise attack him. That'd be fun! He wouldn't have the problem of worrying whether or not I worked for anyone, either. He'd know off the bat I just wanted to challenge him.



Ugh. Still wanted to do something actually cute, though. All my thinking brought me out to my car by my house. I got in, leaned back in my seat, and gave myself a second. I sighed out... Had to clear my head.



"Tsk tsk tsk. Amy Rose."



I jumped! Sonic sped into the passenger seat! "Sonic?!"



He dramatically sighed and crossed his arms behind his head. "I'm hearin' your name a lot these days, Ames. Sounds like someone's in quite the mess."



"Ugh... Don't remind me," I said. "What? Did you hear from the Chaotix?"



"Yup."



I started the car. "Figures... Look, let's talk about this later. I have some errands to do, so..." I sent a shooing motion his way.



Sonic's face brightened. "Can I come?"



He knew I was about to say no since I was making a face.



He clapped his hands together. "Please, please, pleeease, I have nothing to do. You used to visit me all the time and take me places! I'll go wherever. Please."



"It's not a trip I'm doing for fun, Sonic," I sighed. "And you know exactly why I used to visit you way more. And we hung out a few weeks ago!"



"The race doesn't count and you know it! We used to hang out like every other day!"



I turned towards him and crossed my arms, unimpressed. He gave me the kind of grin that Charmy gave when he did something wrong.



"Fine. I'll tell you something," he huffed. "You know two people who used to never leave me alone? Go on. I'll let you guess." He nodded and gestured for me to continue.



I smirked. "Well, I'm one of them. What, Tails?"



Sonic rolled his eyes. "No, not him. C'mon. I'll give you a hint:" He angled his head down and glared at me.



I laughed. "Metal?"



"Yes, that's right. You and Metal. Whenever he even, like, saw me at a distance, he would go after me. Surprise attacks all the time. Races, all the time. Fist fights, all the time!! And then, at some point--" Sonic's eyes widened. "Wow, that should've been a sign. Huh."



"Complete your thought, you dork."



"Fine! At some point, we fought way less. And then he--" Sonic clutched his heart. "He told me to go away. Can you believe that?" He dramatically threw his head back.



"Yes," I snorted.



"Well, I was shocked, I tell you. And now, you wanna guess the two people who never hang out with me anymore?" He held his hands out in my direction, making me laugh again.



"Are you sad you don't have your two biggest fans anymore? Poor baby."



"Thank you," Sonic said, crossing his feet over the dashboard. "I am a poor baby. I saw Metal the other day and he only tried to punch me twice. You think you know someone..." He clicked his tongue and shook his head.



I rolled my eyes, smiling. "You've never 'hung out' with Metal... I guess you did at Vanilla's house. You'd be shocked to know he hated Rouge more than you that day."



"Hah! Really? She was nagging him about the food, I remember. Let's talk more about it while doing your errands!" He said, blinking cutely at me.



"... Okay, fine." He finally wore me down... I swatted at him to get his feet off my dashboard.



"Yesss! Woohoo!" He eagerly buckled himself in the car.



I raised a brow at him. "Have I really been neglecting you? If anything, I thought you'd enjoy me not breathing down your neck all the time."



"I mean, I didn't wanna hang out constantly, but I still love seeing you, Ames. I tried to come by a few times recently, but no one was around," he said with a pout. "Admittedly, I was a little worried about you. Then I heard from the Chaotix..."



I started driving, going down some normal roads at first. I'd save the flight for when we got closer to the coast. "Yeah, let's rip that bandage off. What did they tell you?" I asked with a sigh. "We're going to Angel Island, by the way."



"I get Amy time AND Knuckles?!"



I drove while Sonic recapped to me what he learned from the Chaotix. They didn't reveal to him that I was dating Metal, but they did imply I was on Metal's side and that we wanted to retrieve Cavalier Sonic on our own. They told Sonic about the fight and mentioned what I told them-- Cavalier Sonic nearly killed Metal.



Sonic's cheerful demeanor vanished as he explained it all to me. Finally, he said, voice gentle: "You know I'm gonna ask... Why didn't you ever tell me before?"



"This whole thing blew up way past than what I expected. I wanted to get Cava before you so you didn't even have to worry about it and we'd know everything going on. The second Metal, the one from the future, was news to me too. And then we ended up learning nothing," I sighed.



"Yeah, that's fair," he hummed. "And all my 'rival bestie' jokes aside, I have a feeling Metal doesn't exactly want to be friendly with me... But maybe..."



"I already had a conversation with him about involving you," I replied. Sonic was going to say that we needed more help-- that Metal needed to be open to help so we could all work together and prepare. "I don't think it's time for us to be on the same page, not only for him, but for our other friends... And I'm not going to act first, ask for forgiveness later."



Sonic leaned one of his elbows against the passenger side door. "Whatever you say," he sighed. "You're the expert now."



"I also know you're not going to sit idly by when there's trouble. It's just that, for now, we're doing what we can." After thinking for a minute, I frowned. "Truthfully, I wish this was something only Metal and I could handle... It would be way less messy."



"Well, hey. We take what we can get, right? But... You know I'll be there for you." I saw Sonic's smile from the corner of my eye while I was driving. I glanced back, smiling too.



We were quiet for another small moment... Huh. "Wait, I'm the expert on what?" I asked.



He laughed. "On Metal!"



"Huh?" I blinked. "... Oh yeah, I guess you're right."



"Okay, I've waited long enough. I wanna know more about you two!"



I groaned while he giggled excitedly from the passenger seat. We were approaching the coast, so I activated my car's flight functions and off we went.



"Do you kiss? If so... How?"



Sonic was asking the real questions, huh? Real stupid. "Yes! On the muzzle!" I yelled, blushing.



"But, like... Even when he has no mouth? That works?"



"Yes!"



Sonic laughed. "Okay, okay. Do you have to wear special gloves so you can hold hands and not freeze?"



I glared at him, making him laugh again. "He warms up really fast, and honestly, he is a fantastic heater," I said, lifting my nose in the air.



"I'm so curious now. Knowing you, you're all about romance... So... Do you go on actual dates and stuff? Ones that aren't racing?"



I blushed even more. "Yeah... He's very romantic... Very sweet."



"Man, I really gotta get used to hearing that."



"On the racing note: after you left the track, we did a bunch of races together," I told him, grinning.



"What?! No way!"



It was my turn to laugh. "Ooh, someone's jealous."



"A little bit!" he whined. "I had to annoy him to get that race, but usually his competitive spirit kicks in afterwards and then he's hellbent on defeating me. He gave me up after one race, a race he lost, so he could race with you?!"



I let out a whimsical sigh. "What can I say? He loves me more than he hates you..." I thought about that day and blushed again. "On that note-- what was your deal telling him what you told him?!"



"The wedding dress thing?" he asked. I squinted at him, making him cackle. He had the one-up on me after all... "Hah! I had to tell him something I knew he wouldn't be aware of, honoring the deal I annoyed him into," he said with a grin. "That was the liveliest I saw him the whole day. He yelled at me for snooping and threatened me if I did it again."



"Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn't snoop," I huffed back.



He laughed again. "You know, you're giving off the same vibe that he does. He's rubbed off on you."



"What? How?"



"You're grumpy, yet you're taken by my irresistible charm, which also pisses you off a little bit."



I laughed next. "He is not charmed by you, Sonic. Sorry to burst your bubble."



"Nah, he will be. You're rubbing off on him too, I'm sure. Just a matter of time," he told me cheerfully.



I rolled my eyes, smiling. As I thought about the two of them, though... My heart felt a little heavy. "Honestly, I think it's my fault you two fought the way you did, back at the library."



Sonic raised his brow. "That was on me, Ames.. Don't blame yourself."



"I got onto him for how he treated you as Kai and I told him I was disappointed. He tried so hard to be nice to you and I think it made him snap..." I took a moment to think about what I wanted to say. I didn't want to give Sonic everything, but I at least wanted to get him to lighten up on teasing the way he did. Sonic did like being an ass sometimes, but Metal's own turmoil was something only expressed in grandiose ways. The grounded feelings, the true hurt, that was what he shared only with me. "He thought he ruined things with me because he got carried away with you," I said.



"Really? But he and I square off all the time," Sonic replied. I didn't blame him for being a bit confused.



"Try having Eggman as your dad and seeing what that does to you. Like... You saw it at the race we did with Rouge, too. Metal does well, he gets praise, he's honored. Metal loses, he's garbage, worthless," I sighed. "When I said I was disappointed in how he acted, I just wanted him to do better because I knew he could. I wished he could at least exist in the same space as you since you're both so important to me... But I became the Eggman, telling him when he was failing."



Sonic listened to me, gentle expression whenever I glanced his way. When I next looked at him, he smirked. "You could probably pull off that onesie and coat combo he wears," he teased.



"Ha ha," I replied sarcastically. I smiled a little, only for it to fade as I focused on our route. "... I regret it, though. I don't ever want to be an Eggman replacement for him, even well-meaning. I do hope you two can get along better someday... But I understand it'll take a really long time. Maybe it won't even happen."



Sonic leaned back into his seat and crossed his arms as he watched the scenery through the windshield. "At this point, anything's possible, Ames. It's not that I ever gave up on him, but he's had so many chances to change his ways... to be with you, if that was what he wanted for a long time. Even from everything you've told me, it's just... Wow. He sounds so different... in a good way. I don't think you have to worry about being an Eggman replacement. To him, I doubt you compare at all."



I appreciated what he said... "He's not that different," I replied. "He's... loved. That's the only real change."



He grinned. "Cheesy, but cute."



"I'm being serious!" I exclaimed, blushing more. "It's just, I mean, how much can you know about someone's personality and interests when you're fighting?"



"I mean..."



"Okay, if you can figure out how much he enjoys cooking and gardening while fighting to the death, then all the respect to you," I huffed.



Sonic laughed. "You know, maybe he's the only one who can handle you."



"At this point in time, yes, I agree," I said, lifting my nose in the air. We had a nicer moment of quiet this time.



"I'm curious about something... Like, for real." Sonic looked at me with a surprising amount of patience.



"What is it?"



"What made him confess to you?"



I saw Angel Island in the distance... We weren't too far away. I thought of how to answer Sonic's question... "He didn't want to keep his feelings a secret anymore, even knowing I didn't feel the same about him. He didn't tell me this exactly, but I think he wanted to move on. He was so convinced I would never love him back..." I smiled at Sonic. "I'm glad he didn't move on."



"I imagine it's not exactly easy to move on after crushing on someone for so long," Sonic said with a nervous laugh. "Especially for someone like Mr. Obsessive."



"Preaching to the choir, Sonic," I said. "But it's certainly possible to move on from others. Maybe we'll get to see that with him and you."



"Ow. Why did that hurt?" Sonic asked with a whine. He grabbed his chest and propped his feet up again. I was seriously going to throw him out the window and make him swim if he put his feet on my dashboard one more time.



I swatted at his legs again to make him put them back down. "It's a good thing. I mean, Metal loves fighting, he loves racing, he loves competing. Those are things you two will always have in common... And there's no one faster than the two of you. I'm sure you'll figure out ways to challenge each other."



"Man... I realized I missed out on racing Neo," Sonic groaned.



"You raced him in a car."



"That's different!"



I rolled my eyes, smiling. "You'll live. I hope that after we're done dealing with the situation the Chaotix told you about, he'll be able to upgrade himself again."



"I'd hope he's more prone to listening to you," Sonic grumbled. "... Oh, I have another question, but you have to promise to not hit me."



I squinted at him. "Why?"



"I'm genuinely curious!" he exclaimed.



"... Fine, you can ask."



Sonic scratched his head. "Did he, like... think I had feelings for you? How'd all that start, anyway?"



"Wow, I do want to hit you." I sighed. "I dunno. I'm not sure if he knew your feelings, but he definitely knew mine. There was a few times I name-dropped you in my letters, which was bound to hurt... His feelings for me had nothing to do with you, though."



"Fair enough! Fair enough."



"As for how it started, you remember that one time you saw me take Metal back to Eggman? It was a really snowy day and Metal didn't really move much on his own."



Sonic narrowed his eyes as he tried to recall... then they shot wide open. "Oh yeah! I thought that was uh, very in-character for you," he explained, laughing.



"He said that was when he fell for me..."



"Aww... That's pretty cute," he mused. "That makes sense. You helping him might've been one of the first times someone was nice to him."



"Yeah..." I blushed more. I wanted to go back and see him... Ugh! I could talk about him forever, but it also made me miss his cute, shiny face...



... I needed to watch how much information I gave Sonic.



I glared at him. "If you say anything like this around Metal or tease him in the slightest, you don't have to worry about him. You have to worry about me," I said, pointing at him. "I'm serious, Sonic. That's a fight you don't want."



His expression briefly dropped, but then he laughed again. "Okay, okay! I'll be good."



"I'm really serious. You were pushing it the last time you raced on the track."



"So protective! He's made of metal, he'll be alright," he joked.



We made it to Angel Island, so I tried to find a good spot to park. "Just like I'm not expecting him to suddenly get over his hatred for you, I'm not expecting you to act like an innocent little sweetie-pie. But anything I tell you is because I trust you. If I even catch a whiff of you using this info to say something dumb--"



"Ames, relax! I promise I won't use any of your gushing as fuel until several years from now when we inevitably forget we had this conversation and Metal admits that he loves me and I'm his coolest friend. Alright?" Sonic offered his pinky to me.



I parked and turned my car off, finally turning towards Sonic fully. "I mean it, Sonic. You'll take a hammer to the gut."



"Take the pinky, Rose," he said, lifting a brow.



I sighed and intertwined my pinky with his. We sealed our promise with a little shake. It was kinda funny all of us had this kind of promise thing going and that Metal did it too. I smiled and got out of the car.



Back at Angel Island! It was just as beautiful as the last time we were here. We approached the altar containing the Master Emerald, though there wasn't a Knuckles around... Huh...



"I don't want to explore the island without letting Knuckles know," I sighed out.



"What are you here for?" Sonic asked me.



"I'm doing some research on the Shield Crystal with some help." I brought a piece of paper out from one of my dress pockets and unfolded it. I handed Sonic the paper to look. On the list were descriptions of possible items that could be a power source... kinda vague, but hey, it's what we had.



"Really weird shopping list," he said with a chuckle. "Y'know what? I'll take a look aro--"



"No!" I huffed. "If you're running errands with me, you're doing it my way. Let's find Knuckles." I took the paper back and stuck it back in my pocket. Sonic was surprisingly not whiny as he followed me.



After just a minute of walking through some grass, Knuckles glided in from a higher point. Both Sonic and I excitedly waved him down.



"Hey, guys!" He shouted from the distance as he closed in. Eventually, he landed right in front of us. "What brings you to Angel Island?"



"Hey, Knuckles. Do you know what Shield Crystals are? They're these dark gems that shine kinda teal in the light," I explained to him. "I'm looking into them and was told there's a ton here."



Knuckles thought for a second. "Huh, yeah, there's a ton of gems that look like that in some of the caves. Why, do you need some?" he asked.



"No, but if you could show us where they are or what you know about them, that'd be helpful. I'm looking more at things that react to the crystals," I said, getting out the paper again to show him.



Knuckles raised a brow as he read the paper. "I mean... These descriptions fit pretty much the whole island. The whole place is brimming with energy. Do you have anything more specific?"



I shrugged. "No, I'll go by vibe I guess. It's possible I won't leave with anything, but information helps!"



"Where's it at, Knux?" Sonic asked excitedly and tapped his feet like he was about to take off. "Can I meet you there?"



Knuckles handed the paper back to me. "Uh, sure. One place I'm thinking of is on the north side of the island, huge cave at the bottom of the tallest mountain."



Sonic looked at me next, eyes sparkling and begging. Clearly, he sat still in my car for too long. To give him some credit too, he loved exploring Angel Island since he wasn't here too often.



I sighed and gave him a look of approval. "Alright, go on," I said.



"Yesss!" Sonic took off into a blur, leaving me and Knuckles together. The exact same thing happened last time! Some things never changed... But I loved my Knuckles time, too!



I lightly bumped Knuckles with my elbow and smiled at him. "Before we get into why I'm here... How are you doing? Is everything well on the island?"



Knuckles gestured me to follow him and off we went in the same direction Sonic sped towards. "Yeah, everything's great. Peace and quiet, just the way I like it. How's everything with you? I haven't seen you since you last announced you had an, uh, thing."



"Boyfriend," I laughed. "That's going really well, too-- aw, man. I said I'd bring you food next time I was over." Ugh! I kept arriving when I was in a rush! "Okay, next time something not crazy is happening, I'll bring you so much good stuff."



Knuckles smirked at me. "It's all good, Amy. What's going on?"



I didn't want to involve him in our situation since he already had being a guardian on his plate. I told him about Cavalier Sonic attacking the city due to Eggman and that we went on a search to find him, only for him to disappear again. I mentioned the involvement with Shield Crystals, so we were basically trying to find out more about why they worked against him the way they did. I guessed that Eggman might have taken Cavalier Sonic again, though Metal said it was unlikely. He was a big question mark at this point.



Oh! While it was on my mind, I thanked Knuckles for the food he brought me from the island as a gift for my birthday. It was so good and Nova really enjoyed it, too! I also made Metal try some. He definitely preferred sweet foods... I hoped he would get to taste them again.



I chatted Knuckles up about whatever else was on my mind. I told him about the trees we grew from the seeds he let us take, which led to me gushing about Nova for a little while... And some gushing about my boyfriend, hehe. I didn't get too into it so Knuckles wouldn't get all freaked out.



We eventually reached the mountain mentioned earlier. Sonic climbed onto some of the rock edges as a way to entertain himself and just see what was going on. When he saw us, he waved and sped back over.



"So this is the place, huh?" Sonic asked, lifting his arms at the cave entrance.



"Yep. There's a bunch of those crystals in there... Uh, take some if you change your mind, but don't destroy anything," Knuckles replied.



"Thank you, Knuckles. What do you know about them?"



Knuckles tapped his chin. "Hm... They're sort of like energy sponges. It's a little hard to describe, but they do interact with chaos energy in a different way than other things on the island. That being said, they're a part of the ecosystem as much as everything else."



My eyes widened. "Really? What kind of function do they serve to the ecosystem?"



"Here, let me show you." Knuckles walked into the cave and motioned us to follow along.



I could never get tired of the scenery on Angel Island... We walked through curtains of vines and walked down a naturally made hall, stalagmites and stalactites as beautiful sculptures all on their own. The ground eventually transitioned to stone-brick paths, leading to another section of a long-forgotten city.



There were holes in the mountainside that allowed sunlight to peer through and shine on surprisingly well-kept buildings and streets. "Of course, this place hasn't been in use for a long time, so... a bunch of vegetation, different types of critters and animals moved in. With such a large concentration, though, eventually those crystals started forming as results of all that growing energy."



He showed one of the cave walls just covered in Shield Crystals. Rouge mentioned they were rare, but here they were... I glanced around other parts of the cave only to confirm they were everywhere.



"I learn something new about Angel Island every day... If you ask me, I think these crystals help protect the mountain from being taken by time. Maybe it's why these buildings are in good shape. You'll notice there's not too many plants here except for what was planted a long time ago," he explained.



I listened closely to him... Nothing was clicking with me, but I felt like Metal or Belle would have an epiphany with all the stuff he told me.



"Are there other places on the island with these guys?" Sonic asked as he stared at the wall of crystals.



"A few. Mostly in cave areas like this one."



I tilted my head. "How come they don't appear in other areas where there's a lot of activity? They're drawn to the energy, right?"



Knuckles nodded. "I think it's 'cuz there are other conditions that have to line up, but I'm not an expert in that kind of thing... Either way, Angel Island's always been special. There's plenty that's only unique here."



I sighed, checking the list of descriptions Belle gave me. It really did describe the whole island... I wasn't even sure if there was anything else. "Is there anything that reacts badly to the Shield Crystals in the opposite way? Like... some kind of other gemstone or something?"



"Nothing really comes to mind. The crystal is super tough, but other than how it forms, there's nothing too unique about it," Knuckles replied with a shrug. "Since Eggman found a way to make it into a weapon, I imagine it works against just about anything."



Hm... But it didn't. This information was useful, though. "Mind if we do some more exploring, just to check around?" I asked.



"Knock yourselves out..." He raised a brow. "Can I leave you two alone?"



"We'll be fiiiine," Sonic eagerly said with the flick of his wrist. "Go protect your island, Knucklehead."



"We won't be here long, Knuckles. Thanks again!" I beamed.



Knuckles smiled at the both of us, then off he went. He was probably making his way back to the Master Emerald.



Sonic led the way as we explored and raced through other caves and parts of the island, careful to avoid anything with traps. Nothing particularly jumped out at me... We came out of a cave into another part of the island, totally full of chao fluttering around and playing. They were all so cute!



All the chao made me think of Nova, which made me think of Metal again... Man, I was probably returning empty-handed. I hoped--



"So, Ames, you down for hanging out again later? Maybe get some lunch?" he asked.



"Huh?" I snapped out of my train of thought. The two of us slowed down. We saw enough of the island, pretty much. There was nothing I could really take back. "Oh, uh... Yeah, of course. When?" I asked.



He smirked at me. "When are you next free?" he asked.



"Day after tomorrow."



"Ooh, what's going on tomorrow?" he asked.



"I have a date," I huffed back. "Which I honestly really need right now."



"Cute. You going to go shopping for some car paint together?"



I lightly shoved Sonic. "To pour on your head, maybe."



He laughed. "Yeah, that's fine. Can you meet me in a few days, then? You can stop by the workshop and we'll leave together."



I nodded. "Sure, any ideas on where we're eating?"



"I'll think of something." We stopped completely. He crossed his arms and looked at me as cheerful as ever. "On a different topic... I heard the Chaotix's side about the fight... the one without any robots. What's your side?"



"My side is that Espio said something stupid and I punched him for it," I said. "... But I regret what I did to their house. And I don't hate them or anything, but..." I sighed. "It's all awkward. They look at me differently now and I doubt me throwing hands helped anything." I kept walking and started towards my car. "Let's go back. I didn't see anything useful," I said.



Sonic followed me, his expression curious. "You'll always be Amy to them... And everyone," he told me.



"That's easy to say when you haven't seen how they act. I know it didn't seem like it, but I was gonna have a heart attack when you told me you knew about Metal. The only reason I didn't was because you approached it in such a slow way."



Sonic thought for a moment. "... Do they know about you two?"



I sighed and nodded. "It was hard to avoid at that point, but I regret letting them know anything. I should've just lived with being suspicious to them."



"It's tricky, I guess," he sighed. "Everyone has a lot of history with Metal and it's going to be a pretty bad history for anyone you ask. If Metal wanted to join the team and turn to our side completely, I think it would take a long time for everyone to get used to him. If I think about past bad-guys-turned-good, they all squared off with us in small groups, small doses... But Metal? He's fought and nearly killed everyone, proudly."



"Yeah..."



"That being said... They'd get used to him eventually." Sonic playfully nudged me. "Don't worry, Ames. All that good will shine through eventually."



I shrugged. "We'll see, I guess. I think it'll be a long time for the Chaotix. It's not even that I want everyone to be friends or anything... I just don't want the Chaotix to suddenly view me as fake. The way they looked at me made me feel like I betrayed them."



"Did it make you doubt your relationship a little bit?"



"What?" I glared at Sonic. "No. If anything, it made me upset they couldn't see what Metal's love did for me." I clicked my tongue as I thought about it more. I was starting to get mad in general, not necessarily at him. "What also made me upset was how they so easily dismissed my own history with them. Of course I don't support Metal nearly killing us all. They suddenly assume I'm okay with murder and world domination."



"I'll give ya credit, Ames: I don't think you'd be dating him if he was trying to do that in the present moment."



"Thank you!" I yelled. "Yeah, he still does work for Eggman, but that's not something so easy to navigate around. But... you know what? Even if he stayed with Eggman forever, that doesn't make our love any less real. If no one gets that, then I don't care," I grumbled. "He knows that I'll fight him and defeat him... and I'll still love him afterwards."



When I next looked at Sonic, he was wide-eyed. He suddenly laughed. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like you," he mused. "I think everything will be alright."



I hoped he was right. We said our goodbyes to Knuckles when we saw him back at the Master Emerald, then we got in my car and flew off to go back to my house.



Sonic had some other silly questions to ask me, so I humored him on the drive back. I stopped at my house, and said bye to Sonic when he was happy with our hanging out. I was alone again.



I gathered myself for a minute... Ugh...



The day was gone just like that. Before going back to the base, I drove to the store. I owed the Chaotix a new TV... I didn't know when I would give it to them. I'd probably just drop it off and not even announce it. I didn't really want to get into another conversation with them yet.



I returned to Metal's base late at night after my brief shopping trip and stumbled my way to the entrance. I managed to get inside without blubbering this time, then I made my way to the kitchen before anything else. I was tired and hungry...



I didn't see Metal or Belle around anywhere, but I did see a plate of food wrapped up and waiting for me. It was crazy how instantly my stress melted away. Oh, Metal...



While I was heating up my food, I heard very familiar footsteps approach the kitchen doors. I turned around to see Metal there. A sight for sore eyes, for sure. I saw him earlier in the day, but the day was too long.



"Hey, cutie," I said, totally relieved.



"Hello, Rosy," he replied. Ahh! I was getting used to his voice again. I really missed it.



"I didn't bring anything back from Angel Island, but Knuckles told me about the Shield Crystals some. Maybe you and Belle would be interested? That being said, I'm exhausted and about to stuff my face. I'm gonna lay down for like twelve hours."



He tilted his head at me. "Any information would be helpful, but I agree. We can speak with Belle later. The both of us were working the entire day as well..." He walked up to me, which made me give him a big, tight hug.



"I missed you," I sighed. "Sometimes I see something outside that makes me think of you, and I can't relax until I see you again."



He wrapped his arms around me too and leaned his head against mine. "I missed you too, my Rosy... I will spend time with you until you sleep."



I giggled. "Okay~ That sounds perfect." I kissed him, then let go of him to get my food.



He just got his voice back, but he was still a bit quieter than I expected. The moments of silence felt different. We stood together as I ate my food... With how he looked at me, I thought he wanted to say something.



Eventually, I went ahead and asked: "Is there anything on your mind?"



Metal averted his eyes. "... I do have a question."



"Go ahead, cutie."



"The night you were upset, you said you wanted a fancy wedding, even if no one was going to be there. Is that... true?"



I didn't expect him to ask that kind of question. "That I want a fancy wedding?" I asked.



"No... That you'd accept no one being there," he said.



I took a short moment to eat. "Well... I mean, I'd be upset, sure... I want my friends to be happy for us. But it would be our wedding, not theirs." I coughed. "H-h-hypothetically. Of course." I really had to stop thinking about marriage stuff. "Uh... Why do you ask?"



He was quiet for a while longer, looking away. Eventually, his eyes met mine. "I never really thought about how involvement with me would impact other parts of your life until recently. I always admired how your sense of compassion drove you. When our relationship developed, I accepted you would keep your friends, however inferior I found them." He paused for a while. "You said you would never resent me... Why not? Why would you not resent me if I drove away all of your friends?"



"Because I love you, Metal," I replied, furrowing my brows. "You're not intentionally driving them away... If you were, I'd give you an earful, let me tell you. But... You respect how I want to live. I could never resent you for the actions of my friends." I finished up my food and put the dirty plate in the nearby sink, giving Metal my full attention. "Your past is a hard pill to swallow. It'll take a really long time for most people to accept us together... But they don't have to."



"I will make your life more difficult, even when I encourage your way of living. There is no 'if'. Am I really worth... a worse life?"



He was lucky he was a robot so I couldn't strangle him. "Metal," I said a little too threatening. I cleared my throat to reel it back since he was being serious. "Our time together is worth all the struggle and more. I'll go to an empty wedding and have the best time of my life because I wouldn't be alone anymore. I'd be with you."



"... Even when others wouldn't be able to see your compassion? When they begin refusing your help?" he asked.



"Look... It's... It'll be rough, I'm not going to deny that. But I don't need to be liked to do something good. If I know I can help, I will. If they suddenly think I'm no longer trustworthy, then that's just how it is. I'm not going to stop doing what's right. So... you shouldn't worry about that either. Okay?"



Metal stared at me. "... You would be truly happy, then?"



"Yes," I replied without hesitation. "I'm happiest in a life with you, Metal."



His eyes flicked down towards the floor. After a few seconds, he glanced back to me again. "... Okay. I believe you."



I crossed my arms. "Is that something you're happy with?"



"Yes... I only need you, Rosy. I find interacting with others as more of a chore than a gift. So long as you understand what a life with me means, I will forever remain at your side."



I flicked his head. "You're talking like I would have any doubts."



He gently took my hand after I messed with him, intertwined his fingers with mine. "No... I know your love for me is absolute."



"Good," I said with a firm nod. "It's been a long day for both of us. Let's take some time to reorganize our thoughts. Or in my case, have a really weird dream probably."



He tilted his head, curious and amused by me. "Alright. Did you enjoy your meal?"



I kept my hand in his as we walked out of the kitchen. I'd wash my stuff later. "I did! Thank you for cooking for me~" I began chattering away to him like I loved to do. It was easy for me to pause the stressful stuff to talk to him. Maybe it was a bad habit, but...



This was my only life, right? I wanted to enjoy those moments when I could.