Sonic was annoyingly distracting, and Metal was annoyed to be distracted. His sharp fingers just barely missed Sonic's chest.
"Ha! Try again, metalhead!" Very distracting.
Metal dodged as a spindash tried to collide with his chest. It hit the metal wall behind Metal instead, Sonic uncurling but seeming unharmed. Fighting Sonic in Eggman's lab was a usual thing for Metal, so he knew that damage to the area was a given.
Metal had made many observations of Sonic in his time, and was prepared for most things Sonic used against him, yet Sonic was still distracting. Even when he was all Metal focused on, Sonic was so distracting.
There was just something about the way Sonic moved, the way Sonic ran. He dodged and jumped with so much unnecessary flair. He could never just fight. He had to make comments, laugh, and just be generally excitable. It was, again, distracting.
But that was okay. Metal could adapt and adjust accordingly. If he was too distracted, he would try to focus on his next plan of attack. It was optimal.
The lab was quiet, the only sounds coming from the back-and-forth between Sonic and Metal. Metal had intercepted Sonic the instant Sonic had arrived, and they'd fought from room-to-room, neither letting up.
Then, a sound that was unlike their fighting echoed through the lab. Metal halted, directing his attention away from Sonic and towards the noise.
"Uh—" Sonic stopped, standing awkwardly in place. He must not have heard it, what with his inferior mobian ears.
A door had opened, far off into the distance. Metal could hear the sounds of the Egg Mobile moving through the air.
Eggman was home.
Sonic raised a brow. "Uh, Metal Soni—"
Metal practically tackled Sonic to the ground. Sonic was ready to push away from Metal, only to realize that Metal wasn't fighting him at all. Instead, Metal was hunched over Sonic, his hand clamped over Sonic's mouth.
Sonic stared at Metal confusedly. Metal was so quiet suddenly, staring out into the hallway and never wavering.
The time stretched on uncomfortably long, Sonic perking his ears up in an attempt to figure out what had Metal acting so weird.
It took a moment, but Sonic eventually heard the whirring of the Egg Mobile, then the clack of boots against the steel floor.
Sonic breathed, his breath misting off Metal's palm and getting reflected back into Sonic's face.
The clacking got louder.
Metal straightened, pulling a very confused Sonic across the floor with him. Metal pinned himself against the wall, near the door frame but not too close, one hand clutching Sonic and the other remaining over Sonic's mouth.
A muffled "Metal Sonic?" came from Sonic's mouth, but Metal merely silenced him further. The clacking got even louder, echoing through the halls. Out of the corner of his eye, Sonic could see Eggman's shadow.
Eggman himself passed by the door and Metal went stiff, like his limbs hadn't been oiled enough. Eggman didn't enter the room and kept walking.
Sonic couldn't understand it. He didn't know much about Metal, but Metal had betrayed Eggman before, so it didn't make sense for Metal to act so... afraid.
A solid minute passed, and Metal's hand finally came off of Sonic's mouth. Sonic took a breath of air, standing up and easing out his muscles. Metal's tenseness had been contagious, it seemed.
Sonic didn't know what possessed him to speak in a hushed whisper, "Okay, so do I get to know what that was about?"
Metal stared out at the hallway for an extra second, then stood up, looking at Sonic. He placed a hand over his own muzzle, seeming lost in thought.
Finally, he spoke, even more robotically than usual, like he was in a trance, "I am not meant to leave my post unless ordered to do so. I have left my post without an order to do so. Doctor Eggman scraps robots who do not do what they are meant to. If he realizes that I have not done what I am meant to, I will surely be—"
Sonic watched as Metal continued to ramble, the red of his optics occasionally flickering in and out. He'd never seen Metal act like this. He never knew any of Eggman's robots could act like this.
Panicked.
"Uh, Metal Sonic?" Sonic called, a bit of concern in his voice. He was a hero. He helped those in distress. It was an instinct, thus, he couldn't bring himself to say nothing. "What, Egghead would scrap you just for fighting me?"
Metal beeped, making eye contact with Sonic again. His optics flickered back into their normal state.
"...I must remove you from the premises."
Sonic had little time to react as Metal suddenly approached, lifting Sonic up bridal style. This was weird, unbelievably so, but he went along with it. "Wait, what do I do?"
Metal shifted, trying to hold Sonic efficiently, though it was hard with Sonic's arms outwards. "Hold onto me."
Sonic blinked. Metal's words had been an order, but Metal's tone had been... pleading? Without really thinking about it, Sonic wrapped his arms around Metal, holding himself steady.
Metal revved his engine, then took off, taking the direction opposite of where Eggman went. Sonic's superior eyesight caught each and every detail, and he hated to admit that it was cool to go so fast without actually running himself.
Sonic shifted his fingers, feeling awkward. He hadn't know that Metal could be so warm, like a laptop resting on your lap on a chilly autumn evening. Or, in Sonic's case, probably a tray of hot chili dogs.
Metal left the lab, he and Sonic staring at each other for a long moment before Metal deposited Sonic onto the ground in an oddly gentle manner. Sonic looked down at his hands for a moment, then to Metal. "You didn't answer my question."
Metal paused, debating on whether or not to respond. "It is... likely. I am lucky to have survived after betraying Doctor Eggman."
"Really...?" Sonic asked quietly.
"It is fine," Metal said, though he wasn't very convincing. "I will become the real Sonic on my own terms while still following orders."
Sonic went silent.
Metal stared back at him. "I suppose a show of thanks is in order," he added reluctantly.
"Huh?" Sonic raised a brow, then stiffened as Metal suddenly rushed at him, pulling Sonic into a hug. The warmth sunk back into Sonic's chest. He hesitated, then hugged back.
Just to be polite, of course.
Metal broke apart after a moment. "My data is lacking. This is a usual display of gratitude, yes?"
Sonic inhaled. "Y-yeah. Mhm. No problem, Metal."
Metal beeped, realizing that Sonic had left the 'Sonic' part off. Before he could ask, Sonic had already sped off.
Metal hummed to himself, adding this to the list of things he didn't understand about Sonic the Hedgehog. He looked down at his arms, the phantom of Sonic's warmth still circulating around them. He would have to add this too.
Sonic was so distracting.