Chapter Text
As fond as he was of the sun, Metal was utterly captivated by the rain. Water just fell from the sky- streaking every window with patterns of droplets and leaving a dewy blanket over the world.
He had been wandering on the beach when he first became caught in rain. Well aware of his waterproof hardware, he was more intrigued than scared of the phenomenon.
Gently outstretching his hand, the android watched drops begin to form on his claws, the sensation gracing his whole body with a cool, soft tingling. Heavy clouds blocked his beloved sun, but they were intricate in their own way- darker and yet… beautiful.
He decided that, if Sonic was the sun, Metal himself must be the rain.
Sonic. There is water coming from the sky.
His counterpart was not present, but distance did nothing to separate their thoughts.
Oh, yeah- come home dude! It might storm!
A bit of nervousness shot through him- an emotion that did not belong to him.
I will be fine. I am impervious to most liquids and highly temperature resistant.
After a moment, he added a phrase he’d heard from one of Cream’s shows. Just for good measure. I promise.
Surprise and warmth bled from Sonic’s heart and Metal felt satisfied that it had worked.
Ok. Be careful.
A promise, his dictionary indicates, is a strong reassurance one person gives another in deep trust, which he appropriately felt towards the hero.
Amy was home when he returned.
Metal had at first been highly oppositional towards her, as intense discomfort radiated from Sonic whenever she was around- but there was something beneath that too.
When he’d inquired about these mixed emotions, Sonic had simply stated that he cared for her even if she got on his nerves.
Interestingly he did indeed save her from dire situations and often carried her very close to him, though he did not return the romantic feelings. Love, apparently, could be complex and inconsistent between the parties involved.
“Hiiii Metal!” The pink hedgehog had cheerily greeted, cooing over him with a towel as cold water dripped from his chassis. She, like Cream, had grown past the initial wariness of having a robotic copy of her hero around, treating him as a friend.
Or perhaps a little brother, he thought as Amy fussed over his waterlogged shoes getting the carpet all wet.
“Relax, Ames. Not like this place is anything fancy to worry ‘bout,” Sonic teased. It was true. The abandoned plane crash site was overgrown with flowers and moss, their beds were mere hammocks hung from the inner cabin seats and their living spaces were crude rooms Knuckles had helped build.
Nothing like the uniform city of steel Metal had come from. Organic and soft.
Home, he decided.
Upon observation it could be deducted that Amy simultaneously shared that same familial love with Cream that Sonic felt for his brother Tails. He had watched as she allowed the bunny to lace flowers in her quills and held her gingerly in her lap.
Metal recognized it as what Sonic had called protectiveness. The girls came and went, Vanilla even visited at times, Knuckles, Sonic’s self-proclaimed best friend, spent nights often- an odd sort of family. Family, contrary to his dictionary, did not seem to mean blood relation in the slightest.
Once, when the island was empty except for him and his complement, he had tried to express this to him.
The sky was always clear out there in the ocean. The night beamed back at them, cocooning the planet in soft light.
Just as the friends around them enveloped them in a strange sense of trust and comfort.
Your family. They are like the stars.
Sonic propped himself on his elbows to face his counterpart, both splayed out on the wing of the crumbled plane, lost in the sights of the galaxy above them.
“Hm?” His voice was softer than it was in the daytime. Energy replaced with serenity.
You are the sun. It is a star that burns brighter than the rest. The planet is your home. I am the rain and your family is the stars.
“Feelin’ poetic, Mets?”
That is simply how I make sense of it. He paused, considering his words. I wish to be a part of this. More than anything. I understand you do not feel purpose, but I disagree.
Is that so?
Metal beeped fondly at Sonic’s words coursing through his mind. He knew the hero loved to talk more than anything, but the words in his head were simply meant for him.
Yes. Your love for the people around you and the planet. Your desire to protect them all. That, I have deducted, is what drives you most. I have found that I both wish to protect alongside you, and…
Thoughts swirled about his circuitry. Starlight reflected from his optics.
Sonic said nothing, content to let the wave of calm echo between them, emotions as one. Often they did not need to finish their sentences. Whatever Metal was thinking, it stayed locked between them.