Another wicked storm cast through the valley, which meant another day with not much to do. Amy sighed as she watched through one of her living room windows. Even though they were just approaching suppertime, the clouds were so dark and the rainfall was so thick that it might as well have been midnight. Lightning occasionally lit up the sky through the black silhouettes of trees. Thunder rumbling, rumbling again...



Amy had to admit the weather was beautiful in a way, but what was less beautiful was having no power. She turned around and looked at the rest of the living room, totally dark except for a lone candle on a coffee table in front of the couch. She'd bring out more candles, but she wanted to wait to see what the power situation was at all. Her husband left a while ago to check, at least. She thought he'd be back by now...



Right on cue, the front door opened and a tall figure stepped inside. Lightning struck again, bringing a brief flash to an incredibly spiky silhouette. Two piercing red eyes scanned the rest of the living room, then focused right on Amy. As he shut the door, a soft, yellow glow emanated from his back and reflected off the wall behind him. His lower half had been completely cloaked in the dark by a robe; Amy could only make out the studs of the belt right under his torso.



"There's my Metal!" Amy beamed, her tail wagging. Neo Metal Sonic approached her with a relaxed posture, all but saying he was just as happy to see her.



"My Rosy," Metal greeted in reply, then gently graced his hand to the side of her face.



"You were gone for a while. Is it bad?" she asked.



"Our power is completely fried... I will get materials to replace it, but we'll have to wait for the storm to pass," he explained. "It's a simple fix otherwise."



"Could be worse, I guess... Wait, why'd it take you that long, then?" Amy raised a brow.



She could hardly see anything, but those bright red eyes moving to the side gave her far more information than he ever liked to share. She giggled, her tail starting up once more.



"Did you have some fun out in the thunderstorm, my hubby?" she asked. "Reliving some past glory?"



"I do not have to answer your questions," he said, crossing his arms.



Amy giggled again. "Oh, you are so cute!" She reached her arms out for him. Despite a grumble in protest, he leaned down to receive a loving hug followed by a smooch on the muzzle. "I'm glad you could entertain yourself, but you gotta spend time with me now so I don't die of boredom."



"Mm." Metal unraveled his arms and scooped her up. She took the opportunity to pepper him with even more kisses; clearly, she missed him. His eyes briefly became horizontal bars. "What would you like to do, then?" he asked, his tone lighter.



Amy stopped her onslaught of affection for just a moment. "That's the question, I guess... There's not a whole lot to do when the power's out. Hmm... Well, first thing's first, we can get some light in here since I don't think the storm's going away anytime soon. I'll take care of that!" She gave Metal one big, final smooch, then hopped out of his arms and left down the hall towards their supply closet. She seemed pretty determined to solve the light situation herself, so Metal didn't think to offer... or remind her about his ability to see in the dark.



He loved watching her regardless. Sometimes he wondered how he ended up here, but he didn't mind it at all. He got to be in his true form, live in a home far away from everything that irritated him, and more than anything, be with the one he loved far more than anyone else. Amy was one of the privileged few who got to keep calling him 'Metal' along with a bunch of other nicknames she conjured over their time spent together. They had been married for three wonderful years, already so much time and yet still at the beginning.



Amy walked back in with an army of scented candles, then placed them on the kitchen island that separated the living room from the kitchen itself. "Ugh... These candles get so expensive, I don't really want to be using them all... I think I have some unscented tea lights somewhere? I'll keep looking."



"Try the cabinets," Metal said.



"Oh yeah!" She left for a storage cabinet at the end of the living room, which was near the main hallway. She slightly grumbled to herself as she shuffled through, no doubt squinting. She suddenly lifted her head up in realization. "Duh, I could use my phone! Where is—"



Metal walked over. His eyes turned bright-white and shot beams of light at the cabinet.



"... Oh!" She grinned. "Thank you~"



"You're welcome." He took a brief moment to admire her. Because there was no use in going out, she was still in a comfortable tank top and some shorts she often wore when lounging around the house. She couldn't go without some fuzzy socks, either. Her quills were out and messy, tied back with a colorful scrunchie.



Amy waved one of her hands in the air. "Where are you looking?! I can't see again!"



Oh. He looked back at the cabinet. "I was staring at you."



"Aw...~" She cheerfully swayed her hips as she kept searching. "Hah! Found 'em!' Amy brought out two thin, clear boxes filled with small circular candles. "Okay, you can turn your lights off and continue to stare at me."



His eyes dimmed and went back to their normal red. "Something I was going to do anyway," he replied. Metal lightly brushed his claws through her quills, then gently pressed his muzzle to her head. Amy let out a soft sigh, nuzzling her head against him in return. They briefly separated so she could bring the rest of the candles to the kitchen island.



Amy lit a few tea lights in the kitchen, put one in the bathroom, then finally put a scented candle in the bedroom so it'd smell extra nice when it was time to go to bed. While she was lighting candles, Metal did a bit more searching through their supplies. He found an old lantern Amy liked to have for display, but hardly ever used for its intended purpose. He cleaned the dust off and placed the living room candle inside of it; the room brightened far more, bringing the mood of the room to 'gloomy evening' instead of 'harrowing night'. He sat on the living room couch and leaned back, crossing his legs over the coffee table.



"Oooh!" She returned to the brighter living room in awe. "Oh, this is perfect! I'm glad you remembered that lantern, Metal." She walked over and gave him another sweet kiss.



"Have you thought of what you'd like to do?" he asked.



"Well... I don't really feel like doing any fortune telling right now, reading books will just make me sleepy, and I'd love us to do something together..." Amy tilted her head and groaned a little. "... Oh! I have an idea."



Across from the coffee table was an entertainment center, large wooden shelves, drawers, and a few cabinet doors bordering a huge TV. Lining the shelves were tons of movies and video games, some photo frames, and a couple of cute, decorative sculptures. Amy dropped to her knees and searched through one of the lower cabinets.



She brought out a few boxes beside her. "Let's play some card and board games! What mood are you in? You wanna play something brief or something more involved?"



"We could start with something brief. What are the options?"



"There's, uhh... DessertLand, Apologies, uhh, oh geez, definitely not Monopolous... Oooh!" She grabbed a small box full of cards. "Let's playyy... Solo!" Amy waved the box in her hand and proudly grinned.



Metal tilted his head as he watched her. "Alright," he calmly replied. He moved his legs off the table and sat on the floor instead. Amy crawled over to the other side of the table and playfully slapped the box of cards between them. Metal adjusted the lantern to be closer to them, then he crossed his hands, focus back on Amy. "What do I get when I win?" he asked.



"When I win," she corrected, "you can give me a massage 'cuz my back will be killing me from sitting here by the time we're done."



He confidently cackled. "Your belief in winning is as cute as you are, my Rosy. When I win, you'll do an equivalent action for me; polish me so that I look fitting as the victorious spouse."



"You know what?! You're on! Let's do best of three," she huffed.



"You only want to play two games? A pity; the storm will last into the night and it should only take you half an hour to clean me."



"Yes, only two games, and I have some advice to help." Amy gestured to her back. "Don't be afraid to really get between my shoulder blades."



"Mm." He leaned in and gently grasped her by the chin. He pressed his muzzle to hers, exchanging a brief and pleasant kiss. Amy seized in surprise... Her shoulders slowly relaxed and she softly breathed out through her nose. They both heard her tail pat against the floor.



He let go of her and readjusted his seating. Her cheeks deeply flushed. "What was that for?" she asked with a bashful smile.



"A good luck kiss for you," he replied. "Because you'll need it."



Her face reddened for a different reason. "I-I'm kicking your ass!" she stammered. She propped herself on her knees, then glared at Metal as she brought out the cards from the box. Neither of them broke eye-contact as she shuffled the cards.



Solo was a simple card game consisting of four different colors of cards numbered zero through nine, 'skip' cards, 'reverse' cards, 'draw' cards, and of course, 'wild' cards that acted as any color. The goal of the game was to play every card in-hand until there were none left, which could be done by placing any card that matched in symbol or color of the first card facing up. If there were no playable cards, they would have to draw until they received one they could place. The biggest gimmick of the game was when a player was about to win: when only one card remained, they would have to say 'solo'. If they did not speak in time, the other player could call them out, forcing them to draw two cards.



Simple rules did not lack strategy, however, and Metal would certainly give his wife a reminder. Not that Amy didn't have any tricks of her own. After she finished shuffling, she slid a card face-down over to him, then to herself, repeating until they both had seven cards total. She stacked the rest of the deck on the table. The two of them grabbed their cards and carefully scanned what they had to work with.



"Who's going first?" Amy asked.



"You can start, Rosy."



"... Okay, you go first." Amy narrowed her eyes.



"The game has already started, I see," Metal replied, amused. "I'll go first, then."



Amy flipped a card from the deck over and placed it between them. Red seven.



Metal carelessly tossed his first card into play: red six. Amy knew better than anyone that Solo was a mind game, especially when the other player was Metal. She carefully played her card: blue six.



They went back and forth for a little while, playing only numbered cards and occasionally a card that'd skip the other's turn. Both of them got to the point where they had to start drawing cards to be able to play something valid. Amy knew that Metal often saved his good cards to cause a brutal finish, while she liked to use some good cards and surprise him with other good cards later. Of course, Metal knew that too.



"You should relax, my love," Metal said, breaking their brief silence. "Even though you will not get that massage, I don't want you to experience muscle strain."



"Oh, I'm plenty relaxed," Amy huffed as she placed down her card; a green draw-two. Metal drew the cards, completely unbothered. Amy played again, placing down a normal wild-card. "The color's now red, like your beautiful eyes~"



He gently lifted her chin. "I find green a far more beautiful eye color."



"Aw...~"



He played a red draw-two card after letting her go.



"Hey!" Amy pouted... then grinned. She placed another draw-two to match. They used an additional rule in their game; a player could counteract a draw-two or draw-four with one of their own, stacking with the previous card. If Metal didn't have another draw-two, he would have to draw four cards.



He placed down a green draw-two. Amy groaned and slapped her head against the table. He cackled. "Those six cards don't draw themselves, Rosy."



"Uh huh..." She lifted her head, drawing six more cards. By this point, Metal had four cards, while she had ten. "Enjoy your lead while it lasts."



"Oh, I will." He played his next card; another draw-two.



"What the hell!"



He laughed again. After she drew two more cards, he put down a normal numbered card and folded his arms over the table.



Amy squinted at him. "God, you look so smug."



"Because I am. Surely you have a card you can play now." His voice was light, cheerful.



"I swear, if your last two cards are wilds..." She huffed, playing a numbered card on top of his.



"Solo." He put down a card of the same color and showed off the back of his last card.



Amy took a deep breath. "I have been in situations worse than this one. This may be a little painful for you, love."



He slightly tilted his head. "We'll see. Do your worst."



She played a skip card of the same color, allowing her to take play again. Another skip, another skip... A reverse card, which acted just like a skip for a two-player game, then another reverse. She played one more card:



A wild draw-four. She proudly huffed. "How's that?" she asked.



"It's an impressive string of plays... I expect nothing less from you." He slightly nodded. "However..."



"No. You're bluffing."



He played his final card, which was a wild draw-four. Since it stacked with her card, he didn't have to draw. He won the game.



"Dammit! I got a draw-two from the last time I drew cards... I should've used it!" she exclaimed, grasping both sides of her head.



Metal cackled again. "The natural outcome... Just one more game to go," he teased. He piled the cards together and straightened them out.



"Natural my ass!" Amy snapped back.



He stacked the cards together, then handed Amy the deck so she could shuffle them. She grumbled to herself and glanced over to the nearby window while messing with the cards. Still totally pitch black outside. The rain pelted hard against the roof and splashed against the windows. Roaring wind accompanied the rain and complimented sounds of thunder.



"It really is gonna storm all night. We'll have to think of more bets at this rate," she said, slightly quieter.



"Don't worry. There are plenty of things I'll have you do for me."



"Pride comes before the fall, cutie," Amy said, rolling her eyes with a smile. "And you're really getting up there in pride."



"Deserved." He tapped his claws on the table. "Playing against you is a gift on its own, though. You're cute when you're frustrated."



"I'm always cute," she mumbled. Amy dealt their cards again. "I'll go first since you went first last time."



"Fine by me." Metal grabbed his cards and examined them while Amy flipped the first card from the deck over. Yellow two.



... Amy groaned and drew a card. She had to draw another, then another...



Metal laughed again.



"What the hell is this?!" Amy yelled. She had to draw five cards before finally placing a compatible card: a yellow six. "Let's restart. I clearly didn't shuffle well enough."



He played a yellow nine. "Looks properly shuffled to me."



Amy groaned and ended up drawing four more cards before finally changing the color to red with another nine. "You didn't give me a good luck kiss! You cursed me, I just know it!"



"I must have applied the kiss incorrectly. Do you want me to try again?" he teased, playing another red card.



"No, I'm mad at you." She used a red skip, then placed a green skip, and finally ended her turn with a green seven.



"Very well." He played a yellow seven.



"AAAAGH!"



"Should have taken the kiss."



"Kiss my ass!" Amy at least only had to draw one card this time, placing down a yellow three. "You have to be running out of yellows too!"



"I'm very much enjoying this game. Your face is as red as your favorite dress."



"This game has only begun!" Amy yelled. "The more cards I draw, the more ammo I have!"



"Hmm..." Metal tilted his head. "But I think the goal is to lose cards, Rosy."



"Keep it up, see where you end up tonight," she grumbled.



Metal chuckled. "You can't sleep without me and you know it. You'll kick me out for fifteen minutes and then call for me with your sweetest tone of voice."



"It's your turn!" She had an intense focus on her cards to ignore her own feverish blush.



"Very cute..." He reached out and gently touched her face, rubbing his thumb down one of her cheeks. She slightly moved her head away and tightly shut her eyes, though she didn't break his hold. "I love you," he softly said to her.



She opened her eyes again and refused to look his way. "Th-there's no love on the battlefield," she replied, her voice weaker than she meant.



"I disagree. That's where I feel it the most." He caressed the side of her face, then slowly let go of her. Her brows stayed furrowed, but her thumping tail gave away her feelings. Satisfied, Metal went back to the game. To Amy's luck, he really didn't have any other yellows to play; he drew three cards until he placed down a suitable green three.



To his surprise, she played a simple number card.



"I'm not sure you have the luxury of saving your cards," he replied, playing another number.



"Focus on your own cards!" She played a green seven.



He chuckled again. "Or do you not have anything interesting? Unfortunate." He played a skip card, then changed the color to red with another skip. He drew a card, then played it: a red eight.



Silence fell between them again as they focused on the game. Amy managed to get rid of good chunk of her cards, though Metal managed to keep a low number on his own. His luck was ridiculous! Whenever he had to draw a card, he'd be able to play it immediately.



So it was time to battle for real. Amy saved up her skips to get rid of enough of her cards. She knew he didn't have any blue cards; after placing a blue skip, she ended her turn with a blue draw-two.



"I see you haven't learned your lesson." Metal placed a red draw-two.



She slapped another blue draw-two on the table.



He stared at her for a while. She squinted at him, causing him to squint back.



...



... He played a yellow draw-two.



She slapped a second yellow draw-two on top.



Metal grumbled to himself and began drawing ten cards.



"HAH! Yes!" Amy triumphantly threw her arms in the air. "Geez, Metal... that's a lot of cards. I don't know if you know, this, but—"



"Cease talking."



"— the goal is to lose cards," she finished in a teasing tone. She lightly tapped the cards in her hand to her mouth, hiding her smile. "Don't worry, you'll get it!"



"You think you're so clever, don't you?" he hissed.



Amy laughed. "I do~ Oh, and look at this. I only have three cards left. Wait!" She played a yellow zero. "Two cards. Oof."



"I will let you enjoy your extremely temporary lead." He played a green zero.



"Solo~" She played a green eight.



Metal was a small movement away from crushing the cards in his hand. His eyes slightly twitched... Then he studied her.



"Psychoanalyzing me isn't going to have you figure out what this card is," she said, raising one of her brows.



"You're acting too cocky. I know it's not a wild." He played a wild draw-four. "Yellow."



"... Dammit," Amy grumbled, drawing the cards.



So their game continued. After their lengthy back-and-forth, they ended up having the same amount of cards, trading and drawing. They played long enough that Amy had to shuffle the deck so they could keep drawing cards.



Three cards remained between them both. Metal tapped the table with one of his claws while he held his cards in his other hand. Eventually, he played a blue skip, then continued staring at his cards.



"... What? You have to strategize when you literally only have two left?" Amy asked. "You gotta play or draw."



"Don't rush me."



"But I thought you love going fast," she teased. "That being said... I do love that you've learned to take your time..." She brought one of her hands to his on the table, her eyes hooded. "Especially with me."



His focus went to their hands. "You..." He feverishly looked away and broke her hold. "Your words will not get in the way of my victory, so don't even try," he hissed. He played a blue one.



"What am I trying?" she asked with a grin.



"To seduce me!"



"Now, why would I do that? You didn't say 'solo', by the way."



"You— AGH!" Metal angrily drew two cards, bringing him back to three. "That's why! You distracted me on purpose, vile woman!"



It was Amy's turn to cackle. "Maybe I'm just appreciative of you. You ever think of that?"



"Play or draw, Amy Rose."



"You're pretty cute when you're mad, too~" She grinned and played a blue nine.



"I am not cute. I am terrifying. You will feel fear in just a moment."



"Ooh, I'm shaking."



Metal growled as he played a wild card. "Green, like your honorless gaze."



"Solo~" Amy played a green draw-two.



"What—!!" He growled and drew two cards.



They stared at each other for a while. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed from the nearby windows. Amy grinned wider.



"No." He squinted.



She played a green seven. "I win! Yay!"



He slapped his remaining cards onto the table. "This is because you cheated!" he exclaimed. "That game didn't count. We restart."



"Don't be a baby! All I did was put my hand on yours."



"Your words insinuated things!" he yelled in a higher tone.



"You try to seduce me all the time!"



"When I'm winning. There's a difference."



"No, there's no difference! You try to get ahead by making me lose focus!" Amy pointed at him. "Just admit it. You were distracted and that's your fault."



"My f—" He screamed to himself and clutched the sides of his head. "Your fault! It's yours!" He pointed back at her.



They both leaned in and glared at each other.



...



Amy's eyes dipped down to Metal's muzzle. "You make me so mad but I wanna kiss you so badly right now," Amy mumbled to herself.



"No, you have to earn—" Metal fell backwards when Amy tackled him over the table. "Rosy!" he called in a threatening tone. She clung onto his shoulders and smooched him on the muzzle.



"I'm Rosy again?" she cheerfully asked. He moved his head away as she tried to kiss him again.



"Bad luck! I curse you!" he yelled.



"Why does it make me so happy, then~?" Her tail wagged as she smooched him one more time.



He flipped them over and pinned her to the ground instead. The longer they stared at each other, the higher their temperatures were. Amy was the first to break eye contact, shyly shifting her shoulders.



He leaned down and kissed her back, slow and gentle. Amy moved her hands to his face, feeling the spikes of his cheeks. She let out a loving sigh.



"I love you too," she said as she let go. "I didn't say it before."



He pressed his muzzle to her again to receive another kiss. She grinned and happily complied.



"Truce?" she asked. "We take care of each other?"



"No. I will destroy you."



Amy laughed. "Wow, you didn't even consider it."



"You will seduce me no longer," he grumbled. "However tempting you are..."



"Mm... You have a point. There can only be one victorious spouse, after all."



Both of them went back to their positions at the table and, just as fast, went back to glaring at each other. Amy thoroughly shuffled the cards.



This game would call the victor. Their love for one another would not serve as a route for mercy. They just needed to decide— huh. "Metal, go find a coin or something so we can decide who goes first."



"So be it. You are not dealing the cards until I'm back," he said, cautiously pointing at her. Amy rolled her eyes and shooed him away. Metal got up and went off to the bedroom, probably going for Amy's purse with her wallet. Amy stretched out her legs and playfully hummed to herself while listening to the rain.



Metal reappeared with a small silver coin in hand. Amy reached for the coin as Metal sat down— he jerked his hand away. "Heads or tails," he said, lifting his nose in the air.



"Heads!"



Metal flipped the coin and let it clatter onto the table. The coin spun around, then eventually fell over and showed... the top-side. Heads.



"Whoo!" Amy cheered.



Metal tilted his head as he watched her. "You had to draw several cards when you went first. Is that a celebration?" He moved the coin aside and folded one hand over the other again.



"That game I also won so I think it works out." Amy shuffled one more time, then began dealing out their cards. "Ah, my lovely massage is so close."



"So much hope in that small form of yours."



"So much hunger, too. What are we having for dinner?" she asked.



"I will feast upon victory and you will taste only failure."



Amy giggled. "I don't know what else I expected you to say."



"We have ingredients for sandwiches also." He grabbed his cards and quietly organized them to his preference.



Amy flipped the first card over, and finally, their game began. Unlike the previous game, she actually got to play a card this time: a yellow eight on top of a red eight.



Metal was no longer in the mood to tease her; this was serious. Her decision to change the color already was an interesting one. Did she not have any reds? Amy studied him just as much. She knew how his train of thought worked, so she had to counteract him somehow.



There was strategy and there was luck. Amy felt she had both.



Both of them focused on the game, not a single word spoken between them. Occasionally, one of them would sigh or grunt as they had to draw cards. They placed down draw-twos, a draw-four, strings of skips and reverses and whatever else. They kept losing cards, gaining cards, losing cards again.



Luck had been equal for both of them.



Amy was the first to break their silence. "Hey—"



"No."



Amy smirked. "Scared I'll break your focus, dear hubby?" She played a green nine.



"I fear nothing." He immediately played a green four.



She moved her feet into his lap from under the table. He squinted at her. "I think you're the one who needs a massage," she teased. "You look so tense, my love." She drew a few cards, then played a green draw-two.



He drew two cards, then watched as Amy had to draw again; luckily, she only had to draw once this time, placing down a green one.



"Have I ever told you how handsome you are? I love how dim light reflects off of you. So mysterious~"



He played a blue one. His turbine eventually sounded louder than the muffled rainfall outside.



She played a blue five. "I bet you looked so cool out there in the rain...~ The lightning from the clouds pales in comparison to the lightning you make yourself."



"... I'm experiencing an auditory error," he grumbled, tapping the inside of one of his ears.



"Yeah~?"



"Hm. I heard it again. Strange. I'll have to do a proper diagnostic later." He played a wild. "Yellow..."



Amy giggled and played a yellow reverse, then a yellow seven. She had only two cards left. "How could that be true? You're so wonderfully built. You're the most beautiful, most amazing person I ever had the pleasure to be with~ I'm so lucky to be with the Neo Metal Sonic."



His turbine's volume increased even more. He sat up straight and put an intense focus on his cards. "I-I'm disabling my auditory functions."



"Metal~"



He briefly turned his eyes off and relaxed his shoulders. His eyes turned back on, then played a blue seven. He also had two cards left.



"Aw, come on. Don't ignore your wife," Amy said. She brushed his side with her foot.



His turbine went quiet again... He was acting pretty calm. Too calm, actually.



Amy squinted. "Wait, did you actually turn off your hearing?"



No response. Metal tapped one of his claws against the table again as he waited for Amy to play. Their gazes met. "Are you going to play or not?" he asked.



"Can you not hear me?!" she yelled.



He watched her mouth, but didn't respond.



"You are ridiculous," she grumbled. "How are we gonna play the game?! What if I put down a wild card or I get to one card first?"



"I see you are talking a lot but there is not a lot of playing happening."



Amy lightly kicked him instead. She placed her cards face-down on the table and crossed her arms. "I'm not playing until you undeafen!"



He crossed his arms in return. "If you refuse to play, then I win."



"No! That's not how this works!"



"Says who?"



"Says the rules! We have the same amount of cards so we tie."



Metal stared at the played cards between them. "I played last, so that means I have the advantage."



"You're just making up rules now! Wait—" Amy huffed. "Can you hear me again?"



"Yes, because you keep yelling at me."



"Maybe don't do stuff that makes me yell at you!"



"You are trying to seduce me again!" he yelled back. "And clearly, it's because you have no good cards. I win anyway. Accept your defeat."



Amy growled and picked up one of her cards, then slapped it on the pile. "Blue two!!"



Metal slapped another card on top of hers. "Blue eight—"



"You didn't say 'solo'!" they both called at the same time and pointed at each other. "AAAGH!" They also both screamed at the same time.



"You played after me, so your call-out doesn't count!" Amy exclaimed.



"No, it doesn't matter whose turn it is!" Metal retorted.



"Yes it does!"



"No!"



"AGH!" Amy put her other card back down and reached for the box the cards came in. "I'm getting out the rules. I can't believe you're making me do this."



"You are so infuriating. You will find out that I'm right," he hissed back.



"Just because you can permanently retain information doesn't mean you know everything," Amy grumbled. She unfolded a sheet of paper containing all the game rules and held it closer to the lantern to see the text. "You're—... Okay, you're right. It doesn't matter whose turn it is, just when someone notices."



"HAH!"



"We still both called each other out! We'll both draw two cards just to be fair."



"Fine."



They both adjusted their positions at the table and drew their cards. Both of them went quiet for a while longer as they focused on the game.



They both managed to lose their extra cards again, and this time they managed to say 'solo' in time. They stared at each other with one card remaining each. It was Amy's turn.



Amy sighed. "... No matter who wins, will you still make me some food?" she asked.



"How dare you ask me that," he sneered. "Obviously I will. Play or draw, Rosy."



"Okay~" She drew another card— "Ooh!" She placed it down; it was a normal wild card. "Solo. Aaaand... Red... like my burning desire for you," she purred.



He grumbled and drew a card. His eyes sparked in interest. He confidently placed down a red draw-two. "Solo."



Amy slapped down her last card: a red draw-two. "YEAHHH! Massage time!"



Metal grabbed the pile of cards and flicked them at her. She laughed, throwing the cards back. He stood up and crossed his arms, refusing to look her way. "I shouldn't have kissed you."



She laughed more as a light blush graced her cheeks. "Because of the good luck?" she asked as she gathered all the cards.



"Yes! Meanwhile, you cursed me!" His turbine started up in volume again. "With your onslaught of affection and honeyed words!"



"Poor thing. You must be suffering," Amy sarcastically replied with a pout. "Did you have fun~?"



"I will not answer your question."



Amy giggled again. That was a yes.



After they reorganized the cards and put them away, Amy got her reward in their bedroom. Her tail relentlessly wagged as Metal very carefully massaged her shoulders and back with his hands; he changed the shape of his claws to not poke her. Her muscles really were tense— even though her life had winded down since marriage, she still had so much on her plate from helping her friends. So many people relied on Amy... Metal included. Alleviating some pressure was the least he could do. Metal had also been rewarded with Amy's soft sighs of enjoyment; of course, he wouldn't tell her that.



They moved to cuddle each other at the window seat in their room. Amy rested her head against a small pillow pressed against Metal's chest. She curled up in Metal's hold as they both watched the raging storm outside, unrelenting even after their time spent with each other.



"There is one more beautiful," Metal softly spoke after several minutes of silence.



"Hm?" One of Amy's ears twitched.



"You said I am the most beautiful. Though it is true that I am the most beautiful person you have met, there is one who far exceeds me."



Amy smiled. "Yeah?"



"Yes." He gently leaned his head against her. "It's you who is the most beautiful, my Rosy. You are everything."



She nuzzled him. "Metal...~"



"... And this is why your flirtatious behavior is cheating," he grumbled.



"Metal!" she snapped. "... Ugh, no, that's still really sweet." She moved her head and just as gently kissed him. "Hm... You know, I think there's a rule we missed."



"What rule?"



"If another player wins after flirting, they have to fulfill their end of the bet anyway." She kissed him again. "Let me go do that."



"You made that up, but I am accepting the metaphorical olive branch."



Amy chuckled. "Yeah, you better." She moved out of his hold, then offered her hand. He got up from the window seat afterwards, stared at her hand...



He scooped her up, which ushered another giggle out of her. Together, they left the bedroom.



Metal was lovingly cleaned and polished by hand in the candlelight, also rewarding Amy with the pleased purrs he made that he so fervently denied making at all. Metal's eyes were horizontal bars to show his clear enjoyment from Amy's gentle touch. She took her time in cleaning his face, smooching his muzzle, then cleaning it again.



When she finished and they had their moment together, Metal made the promised sandwiches. Amy took her time eating as the rainfall pelted against the roof above...



They relaxed against each other on the couch with nothing much else to do. Another long silence filled the space between them.



"... You wanna play again?" Amy asked.



The two of them were quiet for a while longer.



...



They rushed to the table at the same time and gave each other intense stares. Excitement flickered in their eyes.



So the game continued.