A/N: This story is a collab with the-clarity-organism.

The screeching was terrible—like nails on a chalkboard, only the nails were the size of Metal's entire arm, and the chalkboard was the harsh, steel floor that lined the corridors of Eggman's base.

The sound came from Eggman's machine—the terrible, spider-like contraption with dozens of legs pounding against the walls. Behind it, countless robots were packed into the corridor, while Eggman himself sat in the room above them, grinning down at them from the glass window as he madly smashed the buttons of his console.

"You're in for it now, hedgehog!" Eggman hissed.

"Please," Sonic scoffed. "You're finished!"

A robot charged at him and Sonic backflipped to avoid the attack then jerked forward into a spindash, cutting through the robot's center. The sound may've been grating, but Sonic's confident smirk would be even more grating to Eggman.

"Hey, Mets! How you doing over there?"

"Calibrating…" Metal said. He narrowed his gaze, studying the spider robot's movement with perfect attention.

Then with his arms outstretched, Metal revved his engine. He shot forward, slicing through three of spider's arms before coming to a halt at Sonic's side.

"Attack successful."

Sonic turned back to Eggman, gesturing toward Metal. "See that? If you're gonna brag about how you're about to win when you aren't, at least include him too. It's just rude when you forget."

Sonic spindashed another robot, his sharp quills sounding like a chainsaw against the robot's metallic body.

Metal turned on his heels as quickly as he could muster, taking less than a fraction of a second. For if Metal could do anything, he could move quickly and think quickly; fast enough to judge the situation and fast enough to react.

Eggman's main machine had already been largely decimated. It was spewing smoke and sparks. Most of the remaining robots laid in a sad pile of scrap. The fight was nearly over, and Sonic and Metal were unscathed.

There was a flash in the corner of Metal's eye. He spun back on his heels, looking behind Sonic.

There was a single robot left. Harsh spikes lined its chassis and steam was rising from its back.

"Sonic! Look out!" Metal beeped.

Sonic jerked his gaze to Metal. He didn't even look behind him; he immediately tried jumping to the side.

Metal's call had been too late. A single, sharp spike grazed Sonic's side. Blood oozed from the wound.

Sonic landed then stumbled and fell back. He grabbed at his side, hissing in pain.

It all happened within a nanosecond: Metal saw the robot. He analyzed its movements. Then it was a simple thing to reverse engineer its systems and plot its trajectory.

Metal revved his engine. He shot forward. His claws pierced the robot's chassis.

The robot shook, hissing sparks. Then it slumped over.

Metal bolted back to Sonic's side.

His optics widened when he saw the wound. It was sickly and dark, and blood oozed from the gash like water bubbling up from a wellspring.

"Sonic!" Metal held Sonic's shoulder and tried his best to suppress the panic starting to propagate through his systems. "How severe is your injury?"

Sonic looked up at Metal, smiling weakly. "H-heh. It's fine, Mets. I'm—" He winced. "I'm fine."

He covered the wound again as if trying to hide it. The oozing slowed, though his gloves were turning red fast.

"Come on. We need to focus on Eggman."

He blinked a few times, as if his vision had been blurry, then went to stand up.

"Ooo, what's the matter, hedgehog?" Eggman's voice was loud and grating, like a textbook thrown into a paper shredder. "Was my—"

Metal launched forward, his jet sputtering as he directed all his power. He shot above and crashed into Eggman's window like a rocket.

"You—" Metal slammed against the glass, sending great cracks up Eggman's protective window. "You—"

Eggman's grin wilted just slightly, although he tried his best not to let it show. "Look at that, eh? That old rotten rodent is too washed up now to do anything. The best he can do is send one of my old junk heaps against me. Why I ought to—"

Metal's fist crashed through the glass, sending shards of glass raining down around them like hail.

"There is a special place for monsters like you, doctor." Metal's voice was low, half beep, half hiss. "It is an island in the middle of the ocean. A prison. Not an ordinary one. A special one."

Metal pulled his fist back, sending more glass cascading behind him. Eggman sat behind the hole in the glass, beads of sweat forming behind his brow.

Metal's voice wavered for just a moment. Sonic, his best and most faithful ally; the one who trusted him when no one else would. Sonic was suffering because of the doctor. Eggman had hurt him.

"I will send you there, doctor. You will not escape. You will spend the rest of your sorrowful, pitiful life there. All alone. With nothing but yourself and your thoughts."

Metal raised his fist again. "It ends here, doctor."

But Eggman didn't even flinch. Instead, a small, sadistic smile cracked along the side of his face.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure if I were you."

Eggman slammed the console. There was a large whooshing sound. The floor dropped out from beneath him. Eggman fell, and as soon as it had started, the doctor was gone.

Then the boxy, fluorescent lights buzzed. The ambient humming of Eggman's machinery slowed.

Everything went dark.

Metal clenched his fist. He should make true on his promise. He should chase after Eggman.

But he couldn't. Not now.

"Sonic!" Metal leaped down, stumbling as he landed. With the lights out, it was pitch black, and Metal couldn't even see a hand's length ahead of himself. He remembered exactly where Sonic was though. How could he forget that? And so with a few, quick steps, he was by Sonic's side.

Sonic was slumped over, and so Metal dropped to his knees, meeting him at eye level. He placed his hands on Sonic's shoulders. "How are you? Has your injury grown worse?"

Sonic didn't respond at first, his eyes wide. He simply sat there for a moment, as if frozen, then swallowed and averted his gaze.

His cheeks were pink.

"U-uh, I don't think so. We should probably get out of here though."

Metal lifted Sonic's hand just enough to get a better look at his wound. Although it was near impossible to see, Metal could still make out the thick, dark gashes along Sonic's side.

"I need to tend to your wound," Metal muttered, standing.

"How?" Sonic asked. "I don't think we have anything that could help..."

Sonic looked around, probably looking for supplies, but predictably saw nothing. "Look, it's okay, Mets. You can worry about this once we're out."

"No. We cannot have you bleeding like this, Sonic. Hold on just a moment."

Metal turned, and with a quick thrust of his engine, he was gone. But as quickly as he had left, he was back, and in his arms was a small, white box.

He set it on the ground, brushing the dust off the top to reveal a red cross.

"The doctor has first-aid supplies in the stor room. It was not far from here."

Metal rummaged around and pulled out a wad of puffy, white bandages.

"Oh." Sonic smiled that silly smile that stretched wide but was full of affection. "You remembered where they were all this time? You keep surprising me, Mets."

Metal kept his attention focused on the wound, looking at Sonic only through the corner of his eyes. "Yes. I have all the data on the doctor's strongholds still. Although I am surprised he has not bothered to change anything. We have been partners now for some time."

Metal pressed the gauze to Sonic's wound. "Can you apply pressure here? I need to wrap it with the bandage."

"He underestimated you," Sonic pointed out.

Sonic did as he was told, keeping his hand firmly pressed against the gauze. He winced, but the pressure he applied didn't waver.

"I suppose he has a history of that. It is a mistake he consistently makes." With a single, smooth motion, Metal wrapped the bandage around Sonic's waist a few times. He took care to tuck the edge in carefully, securing the dressing.

Metal stood up and appraised his work. "How does it feel?"

Sonic hummed in thought, then pushed himself up into a stand. He walked in a single circle, then nodded.

"Feels good!" he said.

Metal snapped the first-aid kit shut and stood up. "That is good, but be careful. It is still so dark that it is impossible to see."

"Right." Sonic looked around then began walking. "I think we came in from this way, right?"

"Sonic—" Metal took a quick step forward and grabbed Sonic's hand. "We need to turn the power on again. The only way out of here is filled with traps, and it is too dangerous to move through them with both your condition and the lack of proper lighting."

Sonic paused, seeming to consider this. Even in the darkness, Metal could tell that Sonic was smirking.

"Look at you, Mets! Being all smart." He squeezed Metal's hand in return. "Okay. Lead the way."

"It is this way," Metal said. He began to walk down a narrow corridor that shot off from the main hallway. "It is fortunate I still pose all the data on the doctor's layouts."

Sonic was quiet at first as if considering how to continue the conversation. "Did you think you'd need 'em someday? Egghead's layouts, I mean."

"Answering that query is perhaps more complicated than you may think." Metal lead Sonic down another branch. The floor here was a sticky sort of vinyl, and his heels nearly stuck to it as he walked. "Data processing capacity is inherently limited. So it is possible to store too much. But I reasoned it would be useful to keep this data on the doctor when I turned against him. I knew it would be of use when I joined your friends."

"And you were right," Sonic said with a chuckle. "As always."

His grip on Metal's hand remained firm as his continued talking, a certain lightness in his voice. "So, how much data do you still have on me?"

Metal nearly skipped a step, but he was impressed with his own relative ability to keep his balance. "Well, given we are on the same side now—that is to say, when we were enemies, I had to gather much data on you. As I am sure you can imagine. That would only be natural. But now that we are strict allies, and no longer enemies, I can assure you it is only the necessary amount."

Metal didn't add that the necessary amount happened to be quite large.

"Yeah?" There was a slight pull on Metal's hand as Sonic came closer. His arm went around Metal's shoulder as he leaned against him. "So do you even know my favorite color then?"

"Of course." Metal's answer took but a single clock cycle to retrieve. "Your favorite color is green."

Sonic giggled as if he knew something that Metal didn't. "Nope. You're wrong."

"Ah? I am incorrect? But...your favorite color is not green? It used to be green. What is it now?"

Sonic grinned, shooting a brief glance at Metal. "It's red."

Metal pondered that for a moment. Sonic's favorite color was now red? But why? Was it because of Knuckles? But, no, that couldn't be it. Sonic had known Knuckles for years, and his favorite color had been green then.

Silence overtook them both for a moment, and they pressed onward. The corridor was both narrow and cool, and Metal took care not to lead Sonic too quickly lest Sonic's injury worsen.

"Can't think of why?" Sonic asked. Even though Metal didn't have a mouth, Sonic somehow always knew what was on his mind. "Heh, it should be obvious, Mets."

Sonic glanced around. "Are we almost there?"

"It is only a few dozen meters away. But you cannot push yourself. I do not want your injury to grow worse." Metal paused then. He took another step. "What do you mean it should be obvious?"

Sonic was silent at first then stopped walking. He tugged lightly on Metal's hand, bringing Metal to a stop as well.

Sonic chuckled. "You really don't know?" He placed his hand under Metal's muzzle. "You gotta give yourself a little more credit."

Sonic's hand was very warm, even through his gloves. Metal managed to spare Sonic a side glance. "I-I do not understand."

"Your eyes," Sonic replied. His voice was distractingly soft. "I really like your eyes."

"M-my eyes?" Metal's response was both weaker and more beepy than he would have liked. "You like my eyes?"

"That's what I just said, isn't it?" Sonic reminded him. "Why wouldn't I? They even act like a light, like they are now."

Metal's optics flickered slightly, the only light source in the dark corridor. The faint, red shadows they cast along Sonic's face flickered too.

"The glow does not bother you?" Metal was quiet for a moment. "I was always concerned you would find them too harsh."

"Pft," Sonic scoffed. "The only thing in the whole world that's too harsh for me is Egghead's dumb face."

He leaned in, eyes half-lidded. "Buuut he made the coolest robot ever, so I let it slide."

"A-ah. I see." Metal felt oddly light suddenly. The utility room was so close. He tried to regain his composure. "Well, it is good to know. I do want our partnership to be successful after all."

"And it is." Sonic walked confidently past Metal. "Wouldn't ask for any other partner."

Metal had clearly gotten distracted by something because when he regained full control of his attention, Sonic had already gone into the utility room.

"Careful, Sonic!" With the clanging shuffle of his feet, Metal caught up to him. "The circuit breaker should be inside."

"Don't worry." Sonic smiled. "I know that this is your territory."

He bowed to Metal, gesturing around the room. "Do your thing, Mets."

Straightening his back, Metal gave Sonic a dignified nod. He took a quick step into the room. It was cramped with bulk, loose wires running across the floor and ceiling. A thin layer of dust coated everything, so thick to the point Metal felt like he was walking through snow.

The circuit breaker was buried in between a particularly gnarly bundle of cables. Metal knew this room well though, so he reached inside and felt for the switch.

His fingers brushed over the lever. He flipped it.

The lights flickered back on.

Sonic whistled, flinching slightly at the bright lights.

"Nice going!" He glanced down at his wound, only to regret the decision immediately. "Ugh, looks worse in the light. Can't believe I let Eggman damage me like that."

Metal rushed to Sonic's side. He lifted up Sonic's arm. Even beneath the bandage, the skin surrounding Sonic's wound was red and puffy.

Metal narrowed his gaze. "The doctor will pay for this."

Sonic giggled, placing a gentle hand on Metal's shoulder. "Take it easy. We'll get him."

Metal tightened his fist. He simply stood there for a moment, Sonic's hand on his shoulder, unmoving.

Then Metal lifted his head. "Wait—!"

Metal turned. An old CRT monitor was bolted to the wall. Beneath it was an aging and decrepit keyboard.

It was the base's security footage.

Metal tapped a few keys. The images on the monitor jumped around, but Metal stopped when he saw one of Eggman. The screen showed the doctor in his Eggmobile, and he was speeding away from the base.

Metal checked the timestamp on the footage.

"This was over 20 minutes ago." Metal's fist tightened further. "The doctor is bound to be long gone by now."

Metal tapped the button again. He tapped it again. He tapped it a third time, this time with enough pressure to jolt the keyboard.

"We lost him. He got away," Metal hissed.

"So?" Sonic shrugged. "We'll get 'em next time, right? Plus..."

He placed a hand over his wound. "I probably shouldn't be trying to lock him up like this..."

"I am sorry. You are right. We need to take you home so you may rest." Metal gingerly set his own hand over Sonic's. "Does it hurt badly?"

"Ah—a little," Sonic admitted, knowing he couldn't hide anything from Metal. "Nothing a few days of relaxing won't fix though."

"We should evacuate from here immediately then." Metal hesitated. He was still touching Sonic. "You will likely need my assistance in that."

"I dunno about that." Sonic shrugged. "I could jog home if I had to."

"That will only worsen your injury." Metal knew what he had to do. He placed one hand against Sonic's back. "I should take you."

Sonic, unusually quiet, stammered, "H-huh?"

"That is right." Metal leaned over. He pressed one hand against Sonic's back, then used his other hand to lift up Sonic's legs. "I will fly."

"Uh—" Sonic looked around then simply stared at Metal's chest, his arms awkwardly outstretched.

His cheeks were pink.

"Well—" Hesitantly, Sonic placed an arm around Metal's shoulders. "Since you're offering..."

"It is strictly optimal this way. We cannot have you injuring yourself further." Metal revved his engine, and he lifted just slightly off the ground.

"We will be at your residence in no time."

And before Metal had time to think, before he had a moment to truly contemplate the warmth or the softness of Sonic laying in his arms, he bolted back down the corridor, around the traps, back past the way they came, and through the door.

The sun outside was almost blindingly bright.

And yet it still couldn't compete with the glow of Metal's eyes.